Ready, Set, Don't Go
by shelizabeth
Summary: Which curse is worse? AU: Snow and David, having an idea thanks to Rumplestiltskin what her life would be like, couldn't send Emma through the wardrobe alone. So they held on to her as the black fog hit. Cursed life with MM, David, and a little girl who remembers much more than she should.
1. Chapter 1 - Choices

**A/N: **Hi guys! New story I thought of before falling asleep last night and was like... I gotta write that one out and see what comes of it. Starting a new story is always a little nervewracking, but I'm really hoping people will like this one. Of course the first chapter will leave you with a few questions, but they will definitely be answered in due time. I obviously have an obsession with AU scenarios with Emma and her parents, so I figure I'm probably going to find a way to write about every possible scenario before I finally stop. Haha!

If you read, thank you! If you review, thank you! Reviews definitely play a big part in how far I take a story!

* * *

"When we reach the cell, stay _out_ of the light. And whatever you do, do not let him know your name. If he knows your name he will have power over you.

Rumplestiltskin!_ Rumplestiltskin!_ I have a question for you."

"No _you_ dont. They do- Snow White and Prince Charming," Rumplestiltskin's voice rose a little as he said Snow's given name to David. "You insult me! Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes."

"We've come to ask you ab-"

"Yes! Yes! I know why you're here! You want to know about the Queen's threat."

"Tell us what you know!" Snow demanded.

"Oh," the monster flinched, out a mix of surprise and amusement. "Tense, are we? Fear not- for I can ease your mind, but... it's going to cost you something in return."

"No." David said, standing his ground.

"Tell us."

"Snow?" David said, looking at his wife in disbelief.

"Very well!" Rumpelstiltskin sneered. "I can do one better- I can show you! Your daughter will be the Savior, but first she will live a life of hardship and pain," he explained, flicking his wrist causing a puff of grey smoke to flare up around them. Snow coughed and cleared it out of her face, her eyes starting to focus on the picture inside of it.

_It was a tiny blonde girl, sitting in a bed much too big for her. Her hair was messy and her eyes looked too empty for a toddler. Her oversized tshirt seemed to be swallowing her whole._

_Muffled sounds were coming from the little girl's mouth. She was holding on to the white blanket stitched with the name Emma as if if she didn't hold it with all her might it would be taken away from her._

"_Shut up, Emma! We're trying to sleep!" An older voice called, startling Emma and made her contort her face in effort to not let out any sounds out that gave away she was crying. She buried her face into her blanket._

"Emma!" Snow called as the smoke disappeared. Water was spilling from her eyes like torrential rain. "Bring her back!" Snow demanded.

"It's far from done, don't fret dearie!" Rumplestiltskin clearly was getting amusement out of their reactions. David put his arm on Snow's back and Snow put her hand over her stomach. Her baby was still safe. It wasn't really her, it wasn't really her, it wasn't really her. Emma is still underneath her skin, safe and sound.

"She looks like you," Snow choked out to David, entertaining the idea that they just got a glimpse of their toddler daughter. The grey smoke appeared in front of them again, and this time Snow didn't try to wave it out of her face. Just waited until the picture formed.

_Emma was older now. She looked about thirteen or fourteen. She walked into the front door, showing a glimpse of the night sky when she opened it._

"_Where the fuck were you Emma?"_

"_I was doing a project with friends from school."_

"_Fucking liar! Where is my husband then?"_

"_I- I don't know, Mom." Emma choked out the last word, seemingly uncomfortable with the term._

"_Don't call me that! I'm not your goddamn mother!"_

"_But y-you told me to-"_

"_Shut the fuck up you little whore! You have a lot of fucking nerve coming back here when I know you were out fucking my husband!"_

"_I wouldn't!" Emma protested. "I would never do that! I was doing homework with kids from school. I swear, I can show you the project. It's about the phases of the moon." Emma tried to explain it quickly, as if she was being timed, using one hand to whip her backpack around and try to pull the supplies out. Her foster mom knocked her backpack right off her and it landed on the floor nearby. Emma jumped back, surprised and scared. "I'm- I'm sorry..." Emma started, knowing there was nothing else to say._

"_Sorry? So you did fucking do it! You whore! How do you walk around with no self-respect? Stealing other people's men? You should be disgusted with yourself and your little tramp clothing." The woman looked Emma up and down, who was wearing clothes slightly small for her due to her recent growth spurt. _

"_I didn't..." Emma tried one more. "I swear."_

"_Get out of my sight," the woman ordered, giving Emma the signal she could escape to the room she shared upstairs. As Emma walked away, the woman lifted her foot, giving her a kick in the back and causing Emma to fall to her knees. "Back to your favorite position, whore." The woman laughed and walked back to where she was sitting when Emma came in. She continued crushing the white powder at the table before lifting it to her nose._

_Emma got up and brushed off her knees. She didn't make any crying sounds, she knew better than that now. But even she, the master of emotional control, couldn't stop the silent tears from falling as she ran up to her room. She stopped by the door, closing it slowly and quietly, knowing if she made a noise she'd get in trouble. She lifted up her pillow and pulled her white blanket with the purple stitching close to her._

"_I hate you," Emma said to the blanket, her voice broken into pieces. "What did I do? Did I cry too much when I was born?" Emma said, only half-sarcastic. She used the back of her fingers to wipe her cheeks again, now wet with fresh tears. "What did I do to make you give up on me that easily? I hate you! How could you be so selfish! I hate both of you!" Emma flopped onto the thin mattress that was on the ground. Despite her earlier declarations, she buried her head into the blanket. Her body was heaving, the tell tale sign of a muffled cry._

Snow was now clutching her stomach, sobbing so hard she was losing her balance. She felt like she was going to collapse, but David held her up and lead her out of the underground cave where Rumplestiltskin's cave was.

"Missy! Missy!" Rumplestiltskin called, causing David to look back with disgust. Snow looked up from crying into her hands to look at what he was calling for. "On her 28th birthday, she will return! And the final battle will begin!"

Later that evening, Snow stood against the wall by her balcony, still in a daze from their meeting earlier. She had skipped the war council meeting, with promises from David to keep her fully filled in. She was so lost in the memory of Emma's tears, the idea of the little life inside her becoming that beautiful, lost young woman, she didn't even hear David return.

"How are you?" David asked, taking her hands in his own.

"Hmm?" Snow said, as if she suddenly realized she wasn't alone.

"Snow... you can't stop thinking about the Dark One. We'll find another way. At the meeting today, Geppatto said he could make a wardrobe. A magical wardrobe that we can escape in. We'll raise Emma together, as a family."

Snow looked at David, realizing he truly believed in what he was saying. She relaxed a little, feeling his belief spill into her. "I love you."

"And I love you. And Emma. We won't be split up. We're going to do it together, no matter what. That monster's visions... they're nothing. We are in charge of our own fate."

"I know," Snow smiled, giving Charming a light kiss of thanks before proposing her deal. "No matter what happens we have to be together, though. We can't let those terrible things- and probably worse- happen to her."

"Together," Charming agreed easily. "Always."

"Always."

* * *

"It's almost ready! You have to go!" Charming called out over Snow's screams. "You have to be the one to go!"

"Almost, Snow. Push again! One more time!" Doc instructed, and Snow let out a scream, pushing as hard as she could.

"We have to move her!"

"No!" Snow called.

"It's too late," Doc said distractedly. "Push again, Snow! I can see a head!" Snow yelled in agony, feeling like her insides were being ripped apart. She pushed again, and was rewarded with a loud cry. "A baby girl," Doc said, cutting the umbilical cord and wiping her face with a wash cloth.

"Emma," Snow said, letting Doc place her daughter in her hands. "Hi Emma." She was wrapped in her white and purple blanket, and the newborn was no longer crying, but punching the air around her with her miniscule fists. She stretched out her hands, loosely grasping onto the finger Snow offered her.

"Snow, the wardrobe only takes one."

"No," Snow looked up at David. "No."

"If she stays, she'll be cursed."

Snow thought of Emma's broken face walking through the front door, Emma calling that vicious woman Mom, Emma muffling her crying into the blanket she was wrapped in now. She thought of the pain in Emma's eyes screaming I hate you, but no one listened.

"I can't, David, we can't. If she goes, she'll be cursed. Which curse is worse?"

"Snow, she's the Savior. There's no other option."

"You promised. Always together."

David's face looked like there were people physically pulling on his arms in different directions before finally nodding and kissing the top of Emma's head.

"Together. Always."

David put his arms around his wife and daughter, the innocent newborn laying in her mother's arms. She let out a yawn, stretching her mouth open as big into a circle as the black fog enveloped their castle.

Snow and David closed their eyes, opening them to the sound of Emma's cry.

"Charming?"

"Snow?"

Snow put her hand on Emma's cheek to feel if she was real, then over her chest to hear

her heart beat underneath it.

"What happened?" Snow asked.

"I don't know... the fog..."

"It came and went?"

"Then she has failed?"

"I have not failed!" A booming voice echoed through the bed chambers. "I WILL succeed! And you brat will pay for destroying this curse!"

"She didn't do anything!" Charming defended, pulling his sword out if Regina took a step closer. "She was born only minutes ago."

"You daft nobleman. She did it by being born! " Regina disappeared as quickly as she appeared, leaving Snow and David breathless with fear and questions. "I will find a way to get my happy ending, and destroy all of yours!"

* * *

**Four Years Later**

* * *

"You ready for a weekend at Daddy's?" Mary Margaret asked as she buckled Emma into her carseat.

"Yeah!" Emma said happily. "Are you gonna say with us?"

Mary Margaret pursed her lips at the same question Emma asked every other weekend. "No, it's just time for you and Daddy. He's going to drop you off at home on Sunday."

"But Daddy and Kafryn are figh-ning. That means you guys can be togever again!"

Mary Margaret let out a sigh. She had no idea where Emma got the notion of them being together. They had never been together in Emma's lifetime, and definitely not in her accessible memory. How much she could remember in the short four years of her life? Somehow, she was still sure they loved each other. She wouldn't give up on it, no matter how many times Mary Margaret tried to explain it.

"You daddy and I both love you very much, Emma. But sometimes... sometimes there are other reasons Mommy and Daddys don't stay together. It has nothing to do with you or our love for you."

"I know that, Mommy. It's called diborce. But you and Daddy DO yove each other!"

"We love YOU!" Mary Margaret closed off the conversation by tickling Emma's belly, causing a fit of giggles and a much-needed distraction.

She sighed getting into the driver's seat while Emma hummed a song she learned in school. She wondered where Emma was getting the idea of her and David from, because certainly it wasn't her. Come to think of it, she couldn't even remember any history with David at all. Of course there was some, as proved by Emma's existence, but she couldn't recall any specifics. She wondered if David had been telling Emma stories, putting crazy ideas in her head.

When she pulled up to the blue paneled house, Kathryn was waiting by the front door. Mary Margaret slumped on Emma's backpack and walked around to Emma's side of the car to unbuckle her out of her car seat.

"Ready?"

"Yep!" Emma wrapped her arms around her mom's neck as she lifted her on to the ground. Emma looked hesitantly at Kathryn, then back at her mom, as if she was waiting for an approval.

"Hello Miss Emma! I like your shirt!"

"Thanks," Emma said shyly, holding her mom's hand. Mary Margaret handed Emma's backpack over to Kathryn and bent down to give Emma a hug goodbye and a kiss on the cheek.

"Be good. I'll see you Sunday, okay?" Emma nodded. "I love you. Have fun!" Mary Margaret gave Emma a little push toward the door where Kathryn was waiting.

"Where's Daddy?" Emma asked Kathryn as Mary Margaret walked towards her car.

"He had to run to the store to pick up some supplies for some S'MORES! If you'd want some that is."

"Yes yes yes yes!" Emma said, her hesitation forgotten as she ran into the house. Mary Margaret smiled turning her ignition on. It was good to know her daughter was in safe hands, even if they couldn't always be hers.


	2. Chapter 2 - Memories

**A/N: **Clearly the inspiration is unbearable for this story. What is a girl to do except write it out?

Shoutout to Guest reviewer, teachermeghan and misscam. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

"Bye Princess," David kissed the top of Emma's head like he had so many times before. "I'll see you Tuesday after school, okay?" David, along with the agreement of every other weekend, also got afternoons and dinner with Emma every Tuesday and Thursday. It had been like that as long as he could remember. He stood up and knocked on the door, clearing his throat before it opened in front of him.

"Hi baby! I missed you!" Mary Margaret said opening the door to Emma and David standing outside of it. Emma greeted her mom by leaving her dad's embrace to fall into hers. "How was your weekend?"

"Me and Daddy slept in a tent outside! Kafryn didn't wanna, so she stayed in the real house. We made s'mores over a real fire!" Emma chirped in excitement, causing David to look down shyly.

"Sounds like a fun time," Mary Margaret smiled before looking at David. "So everything went well I presume?"

"Of course," David said. "Listen, um, I wanted to talk to you about something real quick."

"Um, okay... Emma, why don't you get a head start on getting your backpack unpacked in your room and I'll come help you in a few minutes?"

"Okay, Mommy," Emma smiled looking up at both of her parents. She knew what was happening just by their faces. They loved each other. She pretended to run to her room, but hid behind the kitchen island, listening intently with her backpack still on her back.

"It's actually, I was just wondering if we could meet for lunch tomorrow? I just wanted to run a few things by you and I think we should talk privately."

"Oh... sure, I don't see why not. Granny's?"

"Yeah. When's your lunch hour?"

"12:30. I can meet you there by 12:40?"

"Great. I'll see you then. Uh, bye Mary Margaret," David waved somewhat awkwardly, not sure how to say bye. He looked past her into the apartment, where Emma quickly ducked behind the counter, but her little fingers on the floor stuck out to give her away. "Bye Emma! I'll see you Tuesday."

Knowing she was caught, Emma smirked and peeked out towards the door. "Bye Daddy."

"Emma," Mary Margaret shook her head and smiled as she closed the front door. "You're not supposed to eavesdrop on people's conversations."

"What's easydrop mean?"

"It means listening to a conversation that's private."

"You and Daddy are meeting for lunch! Like a date!"

"Emma!" Mary Margaret gasped and laughed. "How do you even know what a date is?"

Emma was beaming, to the point that it looked like light was pouring out of her. "Daddy and Kafryn went on dates before they got married."

"Emma, there's no way for you to know that. They got married when you were a baby," Mary Margaret said, confused. They must have told her about it, she reasoned. It must have been their way to explain to her why her parents weren't married. "It's not a date, Emma. Daddy is with Kathryn and is happy."

"But what about you, Mumma. You're all alone."

"I'm happy too, bug. I'm happy with you!"

Emma furrowed her brow, not understanding. She knew her mom loved her and she knew her dad loved her, because they always told her. But she knew her parents loved each other, too, but for some reason they forgot that part. She wondered if her parents would forget how much they loved her, too. She had to make them remember, otherwise they might start forgetting everything. Maybe if she just could get them dance together one more time.

_Snow and David sat in the family gathering room in the castle while Emma twirled around happily. They both looked on, amused at the energy that could be contained in such a small human being. One of the homemakers could play the flute, so Snow and David had supplied him with a hand-made flute, one he often played for his favorite little person whenever she asked._

"_Daddy, dance with me!"_

"_Oh Emma, I don't know," David smiled._

"_She won't be asking you this forever, you know," Snow nudged. "You better take your opportunity while you're still her first choice."_

"_That's not even funny to think about," David countered, but got up to join his daughter dancing. He picked her up from underneath her arms and held one of her arms outstretched and twirled around._

"_Mommy, you too!" Emma giggled, reached out her free hand._

"_Yeah, Mommy!" David agreed._

_Snow shook her head, but got up anyway to join them. Emma rested comfortably in between them, one arm around each of their necks. Both of her parents laughed, but went along with it and danced around the room, with Emma in the middle. Emma enjoyed the dancing, but more than anything, she watched her parents faces. She liked watching her Mommy and Daddy look at each other. It made Emma feel safe, like all the love in the world was locked right there in the room with them._

_Mommy and Daddy told her bedtime stories about being a Princess, and how they met and fell in love, except they weren't really stories. They were true. That's why they lived in a Castle and people making her food and cleaning all the time referred to her as Princess Emma._

"Em? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Are you sure? You just looked a little out of it."

"Yes!" Emma said, jumping back into her usual self. She ran to her room to start unpacking her backpack, the only thing she brought being her baby blanket and her coloring book, and a few trinkets that would only seem worth taking to an excitable four year old.

"You did all your homework at Daddy's right?" Mary Margaret walked to Emma's door. Her preschool homework usually entailed some form of coloring, or on particularly studious days, writing her name.

"Mostly."

"Mostly?" Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows, waiting for Emma to elaborate. Emma sighed, pulling out her orange folder and a packet in it. She flipped to a page where she had to color in all the triangles. The page was absent of any color.

"Emma Ruth! You know you're supposed to get all your homework done before you play!" Mary Margaret was annoyed, but not at Emma. It was David's responsibility to make sure she got it done, and he never did.

"Do I have to do it now?"

"Yes you do. And if you had already had it done, you could have had time to play before bed."

Emma sighed, bringing her folder and pencil box to the kitchen. Mary Margaret followed, feeling slightly guilty.

"It's almost vacation, you know."

"I do know, you still need to do your homework though. Which one are the triangles?" She pointed to the paper, and Emma got to work counting the sides of the shapes.

* * *

"I don't understand." Regina stood over the counter at Mr. Gold's shop. "How did this happen?"

"You cast a curse, my dear Mayor."

"I'm aware I cast a curse, but it was almost four years ago. Why would it randomly be successful now?"

"I may have been able to help a little in that department."

"But the little brat... 'the product of true love'," Regina emphasized the words true love with disgust. "She's here and okay."

"It's the same curse, with the same Savior. It had to be modified slightly."

"How?" She narrowed her eyes while waiting for the answer.

"The curse has affected everyone but her. She cannot be touched."

"That makes no sense!" Regina said, completely exasperated. "Then what is the point!"

"Snow White has lost her true love."

"Only one of them!" Regina pointed out. "Even if she doesn't know who she is, she still has the brat that she always wanted!"

"Isn't that what you wanted? To take away her true love?"

Regina let out something of a growl in response, not knowing how to dispute it. She did in fact want that, but she still had many questions. She didn't understand how it had been enacted almost four years after sacrificing her father's heart for it, with Emma still alive and well. Something must have changed, but why wasn't Rumplestiltskin telling her?

"You are the Mayor of the town, Snow White has no idea who her precious Charming is, and has no way to find out! Is it not exactly what you wanted?"

"No way to find out, except for the Savior, who happens to live with her."

"Ah yes, that minor detail. What are you going to do?"

Regina smirked in response. "Well, do you have any ideas?"

"I already told you, Madam Mayor, she cannot be touched."

"Or else what?"

"Or else the curse will fall apart."

"So how do I stop her without affecting the curse?"

"She is not cursed, therefore she will age properly. The only way to stop her is to convince her that everything she remembers and believes is a lie, and then she will never know there is a curse to be broken. If she reaches the age of 28 and still believes, the final battle will begin."

Regina smiled, the most genuine smile she had since arriving in Storybrooke. All she had to do was convince a four year old girl that the small fuzzy memories in her head were just fantasy.

* * *

Mary Margaret made the walk to Granny's Diner on her lunch break with butterflies in her stomach. Why was she nervous? Was Emma getting to her? It was just David. The person she always had a friendly, civil, but awkward relationship with regarding their daughter. The person she had a daughter with. Why couldn't she remember ever being with him?

When she walked into the shop, David was already there waiting in a booth. When he saw her, he waved and smiled. Mary Margaret smiled back, taking off her gloves and scarf to sit down.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"How's your day at school?"

"It's good. I don't have long before I have to get back though, so... you wanted to talk?"

"Oh, um, yeah. It's about Emma."

Mary Margaret scrunched her eyebrows. "What about her?"

"You know, with the holidays coming up and everything and school break, I was thinking..."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking Kathryn and I could take Emma on a little vacation."

"You mean out of town? And on Christmas?"

"Yeah. We would be back that afternoon though, so you would still her. Kathryn has some family in New Hampshire and she wanted to visit them, and she wanted to introduce them to me and well, Emma."

"You want to take Emma out of town with Kathryn to meet her family?" Mary Margaret clarified, trying to explain to herself why it felt like her heart was sinking into her stomach. Was she actually disappointed? She didn't really think David had asked her on a lunch date. He was married. Of course she knew that. Emma had just gotten inside her head.

"Right." David said, unsure if her repeated the statement required any further response.

"I... I don't know. That's kind of..."

"I know, I know it's a lot to ask for, but Kathryn really wants to do this."

"Does Emma know?"

"I haven't told her yet."

Mary Margaret nodded slowly, thinking about not waking up to Emma on Christmas morning. She supposed she was being unfair, because she had always had her before. But still, the idea of Emma waking up in a house full of Kathryn's family with David made her irrationally jealous. "Okay... well maybe we should talk about it with her. See what she wants."

"Okay," David smiled, relieved. Mary Margaret tried not to stare, but she couldn't help but wonder if his smile was always so warm and welcoming, like coming home after a long day.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I think a dinner between the three of us would be good for Emma, and we can see how she feels about it."

"Sure, sounds great," David agreed, then added an afterthought. "Could I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Does Emma tell you constantly we are going to get back together and that we love each other? I'm not accusing you of telling her anything. I'm just wondering if she got the idea from somewhere."

"I was wondering if she got it from _you!_ She says it all the time. No matter how many times I try to explain otherwise."

"She does the same to me!" David laughed. "Although she's started to do it less when Kathryn is actually in the room."

Mary Margaret chuckled, despite her willpower, and put her hand over mouth as if that would hide it.

"I should get going," she said, pulling a ten out of her wallet for the hot chocolate she had been sipping. David put her hand over hers in effort to stop her from pulling out the money.

"I got it. Don't worry about it. I'll see you tonight?"

Mary Margaret tried to regain composure, but she was staring at her hand, which was still being covered by David's. He quickly realized and pulled it away. "Tonight," she confirmed slowly, and walked out of the diner feeling more confused than ever.


	3. Chapter 3 - Madam Mayor

**A/N:** Hi. Thanks for taking the time to read this author's note (and hopefully, chapter) and for reviewing! I know this story is a big different than normal, so thanks for giving it a chance. Hopefully it will be an interesting different! You don't know how much it makes an author's day to get a review. So... review if ya like it, review if ya hate it... just kidding. Totally kidding. Well not really, I would absolutely love any constructive criticism. But if you completely hate it, maybe don't review. I'll take it to heart and get really upset about it for hours probably.

* * *

Mary Margaret stood over the counter grading papers from her class earlier. She had chicken in the oven and vegetables on the stove, waiting for David to come over. Emma sat at the counter opposite of her mom, focusing on coloring a picture of a tree and presents underneath it for her holiday party at school on Wednesday, the last day before vacation.

"Who dat?" Emma asked her mother at the sound of knocking of the door. Mary Margaret smiled, trying to calm those stupid butterflies in her stomach again before walking to the door. Emma followed closely behind, curious to see who was there. "Daddy!" Emma yelled when the door opened. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to have dinner with my princess, am I allowed to do that?" David asked jokingly, picking Emma up off the ground.

"Are you membering?" Emma said wrapping her arms around his neck, hope practically spilling out of her eyes.

"Remembering what, Princess?"

"That you love Mommy," Emma said, looking down. She knew the answer now. He didn't have to answer.

"Emma..." Mary Margaret said sadly.

"You're here for dinner?" Emma said, looking up at her dad.

"Kathryn and I came to talk to you about something with your mom."

"_What?_" Mary Margaret said out of nothing but pure surprise, causing David and Emma to turn their heads to her. "I mean, we didn't discuss that. It was a dinner for three."

"Yes, but Kathryn is a big part of this, too, Mary Margaret," David said calmly. Emma scrunched her nose at her daddy calling her mom Mary Margaret. When he loved her, he called her Snow, like the white stuff that came from the sky.

"Not a part of this _family."_

"Yes. She_ is_ a part of this family." David said it sternly.

"What family?" Kathryn walked up from behind David, poking Emma's belly in greeting. Mary Margaret looked on, feeling irrationally jealous again. Emma was her daughter. She knew that. But when she looked at Kathryn and David, and her beautiful little blonde baby, they looked like a complete family.

"Nothing," Mary Margaret said. "Come in," she smiled, gesturing both of them in, Emma still in David's arms.

Emma, feeling tense, tried to help by cleaning up her coloring station at the counter and running it to her room. When she came back, her Daddy and Kathryn were sitting at the table and her Mommy was bringing the chicken to the center of the wooden table. Emma sat in the chair next to her mom, across from Kathryn. Her mom put chicken and broccoli on her plate, and Emma made a face just for the show of it. She knew she would have to eat it anyway, but she didn't want her mom to ever think she was happy about it. She wondered why no one was talking when her dad finally spoke up.

"Emma, we wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Emma said curiously while chewing her chicken openly.

"Emma." Mary Margaret reminded her smoothly.

"Sa-rry," Emma said making a big gulp to swallow. "What is it?" she repeated.

"It's about your school vacation coming up. Kathryn and I wanted to know..." David started, looking at Kathryn, who put her hand over David's on the kitchen table. "If you wanted to come on vacation with us for the holidays this year to meet Kathryn's family."

"Really? Okay," Emma agreed.

"Really?" David asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah! When are we gonna leave Mommy?" Emma said, looking up at Mary Margaret.

"Oh Emma," Mary Margaret explained. "It would just be you and Daddy and Kathryn this time. Mommy would stay home."

"All alone?"

"I'll be okay. You should do whatever you want to do."

Emma nodded, understanding the deals of the condition, then looked at her Dad. "I dunno."

"It's okay, Princess, you can think about it if you want. We can talk about it more tomorrow when I pick you up from school."

"Do you have to go now?" Emma asked.

"Well... not until after dinner."

"Oh! I made cookies!" Mary Margaret smiled at Emma's delighted expression.

"You said they weren't for us!"

"It was a surprise, silly goose!" Mary Margaret kissed Emma's head as she got up to get the tray of cookies she had baked earlier in the afternoon.

* * *

"It's so obvious, David. You have to get her away from that woman," Kathryn said it fervently on the car ride home.

"Huh?" David said, turning on the blinker to drive down their road.

"She's obviously poisoning Emma's mind to make her not want to be with us. It's not good for Emma to be around her so much."

"I don't know," David said hesitantly. "Emma really loves her. I think she's a pretty good mom to her."

"Of course Emma loves her! She's brainwashed her to love her."

"You think that?"

"Isn't it obvious? Look at the way Emma looks at her for approval before she says anything. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she's telling Emma she can't go on this trip right now. It's not good for Emma. I honestly think this vacation will be the best thing for her, some time away will do her good. Then maybe after we could talk about Emma staying with us for a little while."

"And not seeing Mary Margaret?" David had turned the ignition off, and they were not sitting in their driveway. Kathryn didn't seem to notice.

"I'm not saying not ever- I just think not as much. She could grow up having a normal life with us as her parents."

It didn't seem right to David, but he couldn't help but entertain the thought of living with Emma every day. He wanted that more than anything. But for some reason, the idea of having it with Kathryn just didn't feel... real.

"I'll talk to Emma tomorrow," David decided, and Kathryn seemed pleased with this. She stepped out of David's truck and walked into the house, leaving David sitting there alone, thinking. He knew Emma was making up stories, because he knew he was with Kathryn last year, but the way she spoke about her memory. It was so clear, so vivid. It was like she lived through it.

_Emma came down the stairs in the castle in her mother's arms, meeting David in the room where the chefs prepared their meals. _

"_What are we doing in here?" her mom had asked. Emma didn't have the vocabulary to express that she was wondering the same thing, but she saw a plate of cookies resting next to a basket._

"_Cookie!"_

_Her dad had laughed, confirming that yes, it was a cookie, but not for Emma until later. Emma furrowed her eyebrows, wondering why cookies were out if she couldn't eat them._

"_It's for the picnic that we're going on today," David explained._

"_A picnic?"_

"_Yes- a picnic. Do you know what happened 5 years ago today?"_

"_Hmmm... let me think," her mom had said, and Emma looked at her mom in amusement. She was smiling, with her mouth and her eyes. Emma's favorite kind of smile. "A queen crashed a royal wedding somewhere, I heard."_

"_Yes, yes, she did. And since they were such lovely people, I've decided we should celebrate in their honor."_

"_With a picnic?"_

"_Well I can think of other things," her dad had smiled at her mom as if they were telling secrets. "But I think we should save them for when we aren't celebrating with you-know-who," he said it as a joke, because both of her parents giggled at it._

"_Emma!" Emma supplied helpfully at her dad's cryptic referral to her._

"_Oh Emma, I forgot you were here," her dad smiled and her mom shook her head but she smiled too, and Emma reached out her hands for her dad to take her._

"_Cookie?"_

"_Later," her dad promised, and her mom picked up the basket, and the three of them walked out the back of the castle, where the courtyard was._

Of course it wasn't true. They didn't live in castles and David wasn't with Mary Margaret last year, but when Emma told him it felt so familiar. Like he was watching a movie play out inside his head. And how Emma had come up with a dialogue when she herself in the story was only three was amazing, unless she was really remembering it. But no, because that would make absolutely zero sense. He wondered why Mary Margaret and him did break up, but as much as he dug in his memory, he couldn't recall. It must have been small things leading up to a breakup. There was obviously a reason. So why he couldn't remember it?

* * *

"Oh Madam Mayor, hello! I'm so terribly sorry," Mary Margaret had accidently bumped straight into her walking Emma to school. Emma had begun to notice it happened every day.

"Watch where you're going!"

Emma flinched, just like every other day, at the harsh tone she used towards her mom.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident."

"Hmph," Regina growled, then looked at Emma's angry expression. Today, for the first time, she acknowledged Emma's existence. "What's your problem, twat?"

"Please," Mary Margaret didn't say it to be polite, though. "Don't speak to my daughter like that."

Regina looked taken aback at the soft-spoken woman's change of tone. Emma looked up at her mom and smiled. She was acting like the mommy that danced with her and daddy until Emma fell asleep, the one who told her amazing stories of her life before she met Daddy, the fearless woman that sang to her when she cried and talked to the birds; the one she remembered, her hero.

Regina responded with a huff, clearly not willing to apologize or admit any wrong doing. Moving her eyes along from Mary Margaret, Regina looked at the blonde little girl proudly holding her hand.

"You must be Emma!" Regina said in a baby voice, that made Emma and Mary Margaret uncomfortable. "I am SO happy to meet you!"

"I'm four," Emma said with contempt. "Not one."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret scolded quietly and pulled a little at her arm, trying to hide a smirk. "We really should be going before Emma is late. Have a good day, Madam Mayor."

Emma sighed at her mother's response. She was acting like new Mommy again.

"Don't forget. It's Tuesday, so Daddy is going to be picking you up," Mary Margaret stood eye-level with her daughter before sending her off into the building. "Do you remember what we talked about last night?"

"About the trip with Kafryn and Daddy."

"And what we said?"

"I can call you on Christmas morning so you won't be alone."

"Right." Mary Margaret held Emma close to her, suddenly sad that she wouldn't see her until after supper tonight. Sharing her precious time with this little girl seemed like an unbearable fate.

* * *

Lunch time was Emma's favorite. She liked the kids in her class, and she got to sit with them at lunch and talk freely without getting yelled at to listen to the teacher. She liked lunch with her parents at the castle, and she liked the lady giving her lessons at home, but she liked being at her new school too. She liked how many other kids there were. There was always someone to talk to.

"What do you have today, Cassidy?"

"Carrot sticks with my peanut butter sandwich. Yuck." Emma made a face to show her agreement with Cassidy's declaration, before looking into her own bag.

"I got peanut butter with an apple and two chocolate chip cookies." Emma's declaration made Cassidy's eyes lit up, and Emma without much thinking, reached into her bag and handed one of her cookies to Cassidy.

"You're the best friend ever, Emma!" Cassidy said, eating the cookie before her sandwich. Emma smiled, waiting to eat hers. She liked waiting to eat her treat. It was always yummier when she saved it for last.

Emma turned when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Ms. Carity?"

"Hi Emma, sorry to disturb your lunch! You have an important visitor in the main office, though."

Emma searched her mind, trying to remember her mom warning her that she was coming by at lunch time, but she couldn't recall any such thing. Emma took her teachers hand, leaving her lunch on the table, sure she would be back to finish it.

When she didn't return at the end of lunch, Cassidy put the baggy with Emma's cookie in it in her pocket, doing the noble thing and saving it for her friend for later.


	4. Chapter 4 - Stay

"Ms. Mayor?" Emma said, full of innocent surprise. "Why are you here?"

"I just came to visit you, Emma! I thought we could have lunch."

"I was awready eating lunch."

"Well then, I can buy you an ice cream."

"I'm not allowed to yeave school."

"I'm the mayor, I think your teachers will be okay," Regina whispered as if she was telling a secret. "I've already talked to them. I think I owe you an apology for how I spoke to you and your mom earlier."

Emma looked at her curiously, thinking about getting out of school and getting an ice cream. She may not particularly like the way she talks to her mom, but she's still an adult. And her teacher brought her to her.

"Okay," Emma agreed, reaching her hand up. Regina took it and led her out of the building.

"So," Regina started. "How do you, um, like school?"

"I like it."

"Do you have a lot of friends?"

Emma shrugged.

"Do you remember going to any other school besides this one?"

"No," Emma answered honestly. She added a reminder, in case the mayor forgot. "I'm only four." Her lack of pronunciation of the r made it sound more like _foo ah._

"I meant before you moved here. How did you learn? Do you remember?" Regina's patience was growing thin.

"You mean my lessons?"

"Yes!" Regina said almost too quickly. "You remember having lessons?"

Emma was off-put by this woman's enthusiasm. It felt like something she shouldn't say. Suddenly she wanted to be back at school with her teacher and Cassidy, waiting for her mom to come pick her up. Or her Daddy. She was pretty sure her mom told her it was Daddy's day, cause it was Mommy's yesterday.

She shrugged, causing frustration for the dark haired women who was leading her to the window of her favorite restaurant. You could eat dinner there, or just get ice cream at the window.

"What do you want?"

"Chocolate!" Emma said excitedly. "And sprinkles?"

"Sure, kid, uh kiddie sized chocolate with sprinkles," Regina said, fishing her wallet out from her purse. "In a..."

"Cone!" Emma finished. Regina nodded and Emma beamed. "Thanks Ms. Mayor!"

"Um, yeah. No problem. You can call me Regina, because we're friends now, okay? I need you to answer some more questions for me though."

"Okay!" Emma said, standing on her tiptoes, trying to see over the counter when the ice cream was coming. When the lady with the black visor handed the cone to Regina, she gave it Emma and grabbed napkins.

"Let's sit," Regina suggested sitting on the bench outside the restaurant. Emma followed, focusing on her ice cream. "Do you remember what life was like before you moved here?"

"I didn't move here," Emma answered, licking the sides of the ice cream so it didn't melt on her hands.

"Of course you did. You haven't lived here all your life, right?"

"Nope! I just woke up here one day and Daddy wasn't there. I used to live with my mommy and daddy together! In a big, big house. And there were lots of people that made us food and cleaned up all the time. And my room had SO MANY toys and Mommy and Daddy got to play with me every day!" Emma explained it with her words a mile a minute and flailing her arms in excitement, which caused the big scoop of ice cream on top of her cone to fly off and hit the ground. Emma looked in shock as it splattered, trying not to cry. Her lip quavered the longer the stared at it, a lost battle when tears started spilling.

"It's fine... please stop. Don't cry... I can get you more ice cream, just... stop."

"Really?" Emma said, looking up with interest.

"Yes. Just stop... crying. Okay?" Emma nodded, and Regina got up to order another kiddie sized chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. Emma sat in her spot, frozen with her cone now dripping down her arm, while she waited.

"Emma? What are you doing here?"

"Kafryn?"

"Hi, Em. What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in school? Did your mom take you out?"

Emma shook her head. Kathryn picked up some of the napkins Regina took from the counter and started wiping Emma's arm, taking the cone and throwing it in the nearby trash. "Who are you with?"

"Regina!" Emma said, referring to her new friend. "She's getting me a new ice cream! She's da mayor!"

Kathryn looked surprised, but then saw Regina at the counter taking a chocolate ice cream cone in her hand.

"Okay," Kathryn said quickly. "Well I'll see you later tonight. Bye Emma!"

"Bye Kafryn..." Emma said, watching the blonde woman walk away quickly. Her attention immediately turned to Regina who was approaching with a new ice cream.

"Be careful with this one," Regina said, letting Emma take the cone out of her hand. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I suppose we should head back to your school now."

"Can we go for ice cream again sometime?" Emma asked, taking Regina's hand as they stood up. Regina wasn't expecting it and looked down slightly surprised.

"You would... want to?"

"Yeah! Can we?"

"I suppose so, yes."

Emma was satisfied with this answer. By the time they got back to school, they were on the last station before dismissal. Emma went to the sensory table with Cassidy, who showed her the cookie in the pocket. Emma declined, feeling like her tummy was too full from ice cream. Cassidy couldn't believe the mayor had taken out Emma out of school to get ice cream. That was like a famous person and everything.

* * *

"Are you leaving, hun?" Kathryn called from the kitchen.

"Uh-huh," David said, lacing his shoes by the front door.

"What?"

"Yeah," David said louder. "I'm just about to head out the door." As David finished his sentence, Kathryn appeared in front of David.

"I wanted to talk to you before you left. I was around town earlier, around lunch time, and I ran into Emma."

"Emma? She was in school."

"You would have thought, huh? She was apparently taken out. I think Mary Margaret had something to do with it."

"What? Kathryn, it was obviously a mistake. It must have been a different little girl."

"It was Emma, sitting by herself waiting for an ice cream. I said hi to her."

"Then..." David said, thinking about how to explain it. "Then there was obviously a reason. I mean she's in preschool for christsakes. She can miss a day of blocks and sandboxes."

"I was only trying to help," Kathryn said, putting her hand over her chest as if she had been hit.

"I know," David said, his voice softening. "But Mary Margaret is good to Emma, and Emma deserves her mom, no matter how much I hate having to share my time with her. Mary Margaret will always be her mom."

"Fine," Kathryn said. "I understand."

"Okay," David said slowly. "I'm going to get her now. I'll see you in a little bit?"

"Of course," Kathryn said, walking away before David could say bye. He sighed, figuring he could talk to her later. He felt bad, he knew Kathryn was trying to help, but the more he thought about Emma not seeing Mary Margaret the more he knew it was a bad idea. Not only would he be taking Emma away from Mary Margaret, but he would be taking Mary Margaret away from Emma. He didn't think he could live with himself if he did that. And he didn't think Emma could live with him either.

He got into his car, assuring himself he was making the right decision and that Kathryn would come around to understanding.

Maybe Mary Margaret was right. Maybe Emma needed to spend some time with her parents alone. Obviously Emma has some image in her head of them being together. Wherever it came from, she's obviously confused. Maybe it would help her to actually see David and Mary Margaret together.

"Daddy!" Emma said, running to David with a backpack bigger than her when he walked into the building, still lost in his thoughts.

"How ya doin' Princess?" David said, crouching down to accept the hug Emma was offering. "Why are your hands wet?"

"I had to wash them. Ms. Carity had shaving cream in the sandbox today," Emma explained, using sandbox to describe the sensory table because that was what was in it her first day.

"That sounds pretty awesome, Em! Are you ready to go home?"

"Uh-huh. What are we gonna do to_day_?" Emma annunciated the word today, much like a child who sees every day as an adventure.

"I thought we could take it easy. Play outside, do some... _homework, _the usual."

"I don't have any homework!"

"None?" David said, showing his disbelief.

"Nope! None! Because I missed the lesson today on B's and T's. My teacher said we'll work on it later!"

"You missed it? Why?"

"I was getting ice cream! My teacher said it was okay, don't worry Daddy."

"You were? With Mommy?"

Emma shook her head. "No. Not Mommy."

Before David could ask more questions, Emma was running across the parking lot to David's truck.

"Emma! You know not to run in parking lots!" David yelled, following her.

"Sorry," Emma said, her eyes downcast.

"You could have gotten hurt, You can't do that!"

"Can we go to the park? Cause I have no homework? Pretty please, Daddy!"

After inevitably running around the park for a few hours, and a hot dog with extra ketchup for dinner, David was bringing Emma straight home to Mary Margaret's apartment. He figured the afternoon apartment was good for Kathryn and him, and he enjoyed every moment of time he got to spend with just Emma.

He didn't know why he was excited to drop her off though. It wasn't to have a break from Emma, he would have chosen to be around her every moment if he could. He already had a weird feeling in his brain, like he missed parts of her life, almost as if he's blacked it out. Or, more than that, it's like a blur. He wondered if it would be like that for the rest of her life, and if so, he had to try and soak up every moment he could.

No, he realized, he was excited to drop her off because he wanted to see Mary Margaret. He had no idea why. Something about her just felt... familiar. He couldn't place it, but he knew it was harmless. It was probably just memories manifesting themselves.

David carried Emma up the stairs to the apartment. She was knocked out, breathing lightly onto David's neck.

"Hi." Mary Margaret opened the door and smiled at the sight of Emma.

"Hi. You want me to put her in her bed?"

"Sure," Mary Margaret motioned. "I'll get her pajamas out," she offered, following them up the stairs to Emma's room. "So how was your day?" she asked, handing the folded clothes to David.

"It was good. She did a lot of running at the park. And I asked her, don't worry. She had no homework."

Mary Margaret smirked. "Who's idea was the park?"

"Obviously me," David joked. "I love running around with kindergarteners. It's great for the bones."

"She so has you wrapped around her finger," Mary Margaret shook her head, but she couldn't stop her smile.

David mirrored her smile, teasing back by pointing at her. "Like she doesn't have you!"

"Okay, okay, fine. Fair enough. She has both of us," Mary Margaret agreed. "But she _is_ definitely Daddy's little girl."

"Hopefully Daddy is enough for a long, LONG time," David joked, kissing the top of Emma's forehead. "Goodnight Princess."

"Goodnight, Beautiful," Mary Margaret added, brushing the hair out of her face and kissing her cheek. Emma's eyes popped open when her parents turned away to leave the room. She was so happy. They were talking like they used to.

"Daddy wait!" Emma said, her tone more groggy and sleepy than she anticipated. Both of her parents looked back in surprise, and Emma smiled. It was just like when they tucked her in before.

"What's wrong?" David said concerned, walking back towards Emma.

"Don't go," Emma smiled, reaching out to hold his hand. Mary Margaret looked at her daughter sadly, but Emma didn't even notice. She was too happy.

"Emma, I have to go home now. I'll see you Thursday."

Emma's eyes suddenly filled up with tears. She really thought her Dad changed his mind, that he was staying this time. He had tucked her in with her mom just like before in the big house.

"Please don't go, Daddy. I promise to be good if you stay," Emma said through tears. "I'll clean my room and always do my homework and never ever run in the car lot again. I'll be good, Daddy, promise."

Her speech left both of her parents in tears, unsure of how to respond. "Emma," David started. "This isn't about you not being good. I promise _you_ that. This has nothing to do with you or how much we love you."

"Pees don't go." Emma made her voice smaller.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, how about that?" David offered, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed. Emma nodded, still holding on to his hand. Mary Margaret wiped her eyes with her thumbs.

"Mommy..." Emma said, reaching out her other hand. "Mommy, stay too." Mary Margaret felt her heart swell, and complied by sitting on the edge of the bed opposite David. Both parents sat in silence as Emma drifted into dreamland, still holding on to both of her parents.

"Wrapped around her finger," David smiled when Emma was breathing steady.

Mary Margaret looked at David smiling. She wondered if he felt the way she did, because she could have stayed there all night. Sitting next to David, watching their daughter in her most innocent state.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she joked.


	5. Chapter 5 - Preschool Party

Emma couldn't stay still when her mom put on her white tights underneath her new dress. It was velvet red at the top with a ribbon and a bow tied in the back, with a glittery red texture flared out at the bottom. Emma had picked it out herself especially for the holiday party at school today. Today being the last day before vacation, they had a half-day of preschool and didn't go in until 10:35. She had spent the morning making cupcakes with red and green frosting with her mom to bring into school, shifting in excitement every few minutes. She only thought about the fact her Daddy wasn't here for a minute after she woke up.

"Stay still, Emma!" Her mom laughed, tying the ribbon into a bow on the back of her dress.

"Whereza my headband?" Emma asked worriedly, moving suddenly to look for it.

"It's with your hairbrush on your dresser. Now, please Emma, stay still for one minute."

Emma complied, busying herself with sticking her fingers in between the spaces on her opposite hand and pulling them out over and over again.

"Am I leaving with Daddy tonight?" Emma said, looking at the suitcase her mom had packed sitting on her bed.

"Yes, after school. But parents are invited to the party, remember? So Mommy and Daddy will both be there, and we can say goodbye then."

"And I'll be home on the real Christmas?"

"You bet! I'll see you Saturday afternoon, and we'll have a whole other celebration here. That's two Christmases for you!"

This idea excited Emma enough to calm her nerves about leaving her mom. Still, she wished she could come with them instead of Kathryn. She didn't hate Kathryn, Mommy told her hating someone isn't fair to do to yourself, because you're the only one it bothers. Her new mommy said that, the one with short hair and that Daddy calls Mary Margaret, but she liked it because it made her feel like it was her old one and she was back home. She liked to think of the big house as her real home, the one she'd go back to eventually.

"Alright," Mary Margaret said, placing the red headband in her freshly brushed hair. She smiled at her daughter as she turned around to face her. "Oh goodness, when did you get so beautiful?" Her compliment caused a smile to break out on Emma's face, the expression of a child who feels accepted and important. "Why don't you go downstairs and check it out for yourself? And brush your teeth before we go!"

Emma listened and ran down the stairs, excited to see her dress and headband. Mary Margaret packed up the last of Emma's things, trying not think about it too much. She knew Emma would have fun, and she didn't want her to feel bad for that. She picked up Emma's baby blanket, the last thing to pack because Emma couldn't sleep without it. As she picked it up, a piece of white paper fell out of it. Mary Margaret scrunched her eyebrows before picking it up off the ground, quickly realizing it wasn't that little, but folded up. She unfolded it to find a well drawn portrait of... herself. And David, and Emma, who looked about three in it. She stared at it for a few minutes in shock, trying to figure out where it came from. It was obvious Emma didn't draw it. It looked like a professional artist had, it was so real it was almost photograph like. She had long hair in the picture and reflexively her hand shot up to her pixie cut. She had had it as long as she could remember.

"Emma," she called, walking quickly down the stairs. Emma looked up at her from the bathroom like a deer in headlights, one hand on the toothbrush in her mouth. "Where did you get this?"

Emma shrugged, sure her mom wouldn't understand.

"Emma, I'm serious. Did you... draw this?"

"No, Mommy!" Emma laughed. "That was done by a real drawer."

"What does that mean?" Mary Margaret pressed.

"The one that came to the castle and drew us. There were more pictures, but I was little-er. I took it when I heard you and Daddy talking about the curse."

"What does that even mean, Emma?"

Emma looked at her mom and scrunched her face. There was no use trying to explaining it right now.

"Is it time to go yet?" Emma asked, causing Mary Margaret to look at the clock and sighed. They really did have to go, or else they would be late.

"Okay. But we have to talk more about this picture when you come home, do you understand?"

Emma nodded, grateful they didn't have to do it now. Mary Margaret disappeared back upstairs and let Emma finish brushing her teeth and tucked Emma's blanket into her suitcase. With a second thought, she folded up the picture Emma had and put it with her blanket. Until she knew what it meant, there was no point it taking it away from her. She sighed wondering what her daughter was up to, and wondering what her daughter knew, or at least thought she knew. Obviously there was something that was in Emma's mind that Mary Margaret didn't, or couldn't, understand. The thought was frightening. She didn't want Emma to feel like she couldn't talk to her.

"Alrighty, ready?" Mary Margaret asked as Emma buckled her own black dressy shoes.

"Yes!"

"Can you wheel your suitcase yourself?" She challenged Emma, picking up their batch of cupcakes.

Emma accepted willingly, ready to prove how strong she was.

* * *

Mary Margaret walked into Emma's classroom, which was heavily decorated with red and green streamers and other holiday decorations. Mary Margaret placed the cupcakes on the table on the counter the kitchenette area in the corner of the classroom, while Emma ran over to a group of preschool girls. All of them were wearing styles similar to Emma's red holiday dress. She watched pleasantly, seeing clearly that Emma was the leader of their group. She could tell by the way they stood, all looking at Emma while Emma looked a little bit towards everyone. She couldn't help but chuckle a little; she had no idea where the leader trait had come from.

"Hey," David said, walking up to Mary Margaret.

"Oh! Hey!"

"Did I surprise you?"

"A little bit," Mary Margaret answered honestly. "Has Emma seen you yet?"

"Not yet. I snuck in, since you know, I was a few minutes late."

"I noticed," Mary Margaret teased. "Is Kathryn parking or something?"

"No, uh... no. She's finishing packing at home. I figured she could skip the function at Emma's school. Two embarrassing parents is enough for one little girl."

Mary Margaret laughed. "I don't think she even notices either of us. She's quite the center of attention."

"I have no idea where she gets that from," David laughed. "Must be you."

"Ha! That's definitely it!" Mary Margaret joked, knowing and accepting she was one of the most passive people on the planet.

"Well, it's definitely not me," David admitted just as Emma turned around and saw him.

"Daddy!"

"Hi Princess!" He said, putting his arms around Emma when she ran to hug his waist. "How's the party?"

"Megan and Julie want to decorate ormanents but me and Cassidy wants to make a gingerbread house."

David looked around to the different stations set up in the preschool classroom. "Well, why don't you and Cassidy make your houses, and Megan and Julie decorate the ornaments and then you guys can show each other what you did later?"

Emma looked at him like what he said was preposterous. "Because then we wouldn't be together, Daddy." Emma walked back to her friends, deciding her dad was no help. Mary Margaret laughed at David's shocked expression at the dismissal from his daughter.

"I mean, I thought it was obvious," Mary Margaret mocked in Emma's tone, causing David to move his shocked face to her. Both of them laughed a little despite their efforts not to, and the only thing that Mary Margaret couldn't think was _man, isn't this easy?_

At the end of the party, Emma hugged goodbye to Cassidy, Megan, and Julie, in which she had never ended up splitting up from. Cassidy mentioned that she would see them next year, causing looks of confusion, then wonder as they realized that it was true. The small formality excited all of them as they began telling everyone that they would see them next year.

"Ready?" David asked, holding out his hand. Emma took it, holding out her other one to Mary Margaret. As they walked out together, all three hand-in-hand, Emma smiled in victory. Mary Margaret thought about the picture in Emma's suitcase, wondering if she should have told David about it. She thought she'd wait until she could talk to Emma, until it made more sense, but suddenly it felt like she was keeping a secret.

"We're going right now?"

"As long as you're ready," David said, somewhat as a question.

"Uh-huh," Emma said, but she sounded unsure of herself. She was tired and full from holiday treats, and two in the afternoon was a good time for a nap. Mary Margaret bent down to say goodbye as David lifted Emma's suitcase out of Mary Margaret's trunk.

"I'm gonna miss you Mommy," Emma said, tears forming in her eyes. She felt overtired and sad at the idea of leaving, even if she did get to spend extra time with her Daddy.

"Aw Em, I'm going to miss you so much," Mary Margaret wrapped Emma in a hug and tried not to cry and make it harder for her.

"I don't wanna go anymore," Emma cried into her mom's shoulder. Mary Margaret rubbed her back in circles, waiting for her calm down. Finally she pulled away, wiping her eyes and looking in her mother's eyes expectantly. "Do I have to go?"

"No, Emma, you don't have to go. But I think it would be really, really fun. I'm sure Daddy has a lot of fun things planned for you, right?" Mary Margaret said, looking up at David.

"You betcha! It's going to be a lot of fun, and it's going to go by real quick, Em."

"It is?" Emma asked doubtfully.

"Absolutely. You're going to be home with Mom in no time."

Mary Margaret nodded, and Emma hesitantly nodded to accept this. She walked over to David, who opened the door to his truck for her and lifted her into the car seat.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Mary Margaret said through the window. Emma nodded through her drying tears. Mary Margaret could see how hard she was trying not to form fresh ones. "I love you, Em. Have fun!"

"Love you," Emma returned with a shaky smile.

Mary Margaret stepped back as David pulled out of the parking space and waved to her. She waved, watching Emma's little hand shoot up and join in. She got in her own car, feeling empty without Emma or Emma's suitcase.

She was on school vacation since yesterday, so she had no idea what to do to fill the time. She decided to head to some shops for some last minute holiday shopping for Emma. Since she had the time, she figured she'd make this year's Christmas extra special.

"Miss Blanchard?"

"Hmm?" Mary Margaret turned around and found herself face-to-face with Regina. "Oh hi Madam Mayor! How are you?"

"Fine," Regina smiled. "Where's Emma?"

"Oh, Emma, she's with her father. They're heading out on a vacation for the holidays actually."

Regina smiled for a second, thinking of Snow White not being with her brat on a holiday, until it hit her.

"A vacation?"

"Yes, they're on their way..."

"Out of town?"

"Well, yes. Kathryn's relatives aren't in Storybrooke."

_How the hell does Kathryn have relatives?_ Regina thought. _I didn't give her any memories of relatives. What is she up to?_

"You have to stop them!" Regina said urgently. "Emma can't leave!"

"What? Madam Mayor, are you okay?"

"You have to stop Emma from leaving!"

"Leaving? Why? I'm sure they've already left. It was over an hour ago."

Her statement caused Regina's eyes to widen, who left the shop without another word. Mary Margaret watched her go, feeling a little uncomfortable with the encounter. Regina's head popped back in the jingling door, visibly annoyed.

"Are you coming or not?"

Taken aback, Mary Margaret not equipped with the knowledge on how to say no to the Mayor, followed her to her car, leaving her cart full of toys for Emma in the middle of the store.

"I'm assuming you know where we are going?" Regina said, pressing her foot on the gas.


	6. Chapter 6 - Vacations

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews! It's honestly more of a response than I expected for this story. I'm so glad anyone has found it interesting! Lol

Ela- Thank you for liking the story! I don't know why I'm writing about Christmas. I'm a bit out of season, but hey, who doesn't love holiday spirit? Honestly, I didn't plan it. I don't know where it came from. It was just how I pictured the scene.

Raquel- thanks for the reviews every chapter! What IS Kathryn up to indeed?!

Jkilmer- I'm glad you're liking it! I agree. I wish David would have just stayed :P

Fangirl308- Regina won't have it! But her parents passed on more than just true love, I believe. I do like to imagine young Emma with plenty of her mom's stubborness and dad's faith, so, I guess we'll have to see.

And also to everyone else, I LOVE reading your reviews! I try to address all of them.

* * *

"I-I don't. I only know that it's New Hampshire," Mary Margaret stuttered.

"Well then I'll head towards New Hampshire. Can you call him please and find out the exact address?"

"He's going to think I'm insane!" Mary Margaret worried as they approached the town line. "What the hell..."

"It was an accident..." Regina said, stopping the car by the tape.

"That's Kathryn's car!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. Both women got out of the car. Regina spotted Graham. Mary Margaret could vaguely see Regina demanding to know what happened. For a passing moment, she wondered why she cared, but she was distracted quickly. David was wandering around aimlessly, with cuts on his face and emptiness in his eyes.

"David!" Mary Margaret said, grabbing his shoulders. He flinched, causing Mary Margaret to loosen her grip. "David? Where is Emma?"

"Emma?"

"David! Where is Emma? Our daughter?"

"Emma. She got taken away in an ambulance."

"An ambulance? Is she okay?"

"A lot of blood."

"Blood? David, you need to go to the hospital! Why haven't you been taken to the hospital?"

David's body began shaking violently as he went limp and fell towards the ground. Mary Margaret reached her hands out and held him up from under his armpits before he hit the ground.

"Help! I need help over here! He's seizing!"

A medical professional quickly took David out of Mary Margaret's hands and laid him on his side until the seizure passed. Mary Margaret watched in horror, unable to take her eyes off him. She watched him get carried into an ambulance and the ambulance drive towards the hospital in Storybrooke.

_Emma. I have to get to Emma._

"Where are you going?"

Mary Margaret looked at Regina quickly, then kept walking. Regina followed. "Emma," she explained, her mind racing. "Hospital."

"Get in," Regina sighed as they neared her parked car. Wordlessly, Mary Margaret nodded.

_Emma. I have to get to Emma._

* * *

"I'm here for my daughter. A car crash, she's four, she's blonde with blue eyes. She was wearing um, oh god, what was she wearing?" Mary Margaret brought her hand over her mouth and tried to cover her sobs, feeling the weight of what was happening all at once. "Um, it was a- it was a um red dress. Red holiday dress and white tights."

"There was a Jane Doe little girl that went into surgery about a half hour ago. If you want to wait upstairs in the surgical waiting room, I can bring you to the recovery room to identify her as soon as she's stable."

"Oh god. Emma, oh god." Mary Margaret clutched her stomach and bent over, feeling Regina hold her up. Regina's hold on her arm reminded her the mayor was there. "You don't have to stay."

"No, it's fine. As the mayor, I should. I mean, you know, make sure she's okay. I'm going to get myself some coffee. Do you... want one?"

Mary Margaret looked at her strangely, for a minute forgetting what was happening. Was this the woman who seemed to hate her so much?

"No thank you..."

* * *

Regina thought about barging into the surgical room and demanding to know Emma's progress. She told herself it was for practical reasons, that she had to know if Emma was going to be okay. The fate of her curse depended on it. If Emma died, her whole curse would come undone. If Snow White and Prince Charming found each other, her father would have died for nothing. She told herself it was the only thing that mattered, that the fact that she couldn't stop picturing Emma making her promise that they'd go out for ice cream again had nothing to do with it. Emma was the living proof that Snow White got everything that she destroyed for Regina. It was unforgivable.

Instead, she walked to the front of the hospital where they sold coffee and pastries.

"Gold?"

"How lovely to run into you!" The man turned around as if it was truly a surprise.

"Why are you in the hospital?" Regina said, flat-toned.

"The whole town is worried about little Emma! It was quite a big scene, or have you not seen it?"

"Of course I've seen it!" Regina snapped. "She's in surgery. You can go now."

"I don't think that's the wisest idea," Gold advised. "You might need my help when she wakes up."

"Why would I need your help?"

"When Emma wakes up, if she wakes up, there's a chance she could lose all of her memories."

"Perfect."

"Not quite- my dear Mayor, there is a big, _big_ difference between not remembering and not believing."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "What are you trying to say?"

"If she loses her memories, everyone in this town is going to be in a lot of trouble."

At this, Regina shot up her hands in defeat. "I've had enough of this! I've been living in this town for months now, which is just enough like the town I created but with differences just big enough to make me feel like _I'm _the one going crazy! Tell me what you did to make the curse enact itself almost four years later, and why the brat can still stop it!"

Gold sat casually in the couch that was in the front lobby, crossing his legs and smirking. He had the power, and Regina could see how much he was enjoying it. It made her blood boil. It was supposed to be _her_ curse, _her _rules.

"I'll explain only what you need to know for now," Gold said it as if his offer should excited Regina. "As you know, you cannot bottle true love. That is what makes little Emma so powerful. She is a walking bottled up proof of true love. It is what she is made up of, from the contents of her heart to the ends of her fingertips. She is stronger than both of us. Even I."

"She's four."

"Not for long," Gold said with a knowing smirk and a wink. "She did not eliminate the curse, but rather... delayed it. It did not disappear but diffused to the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest. Emma, by her mere existence, created a barrier around the land. The curse waited... until I was ready to continue."

"Oh of course! How inconsiderate of me not to double check that the timing of _my _curse fit into _your _schedule."

"It was Emma who delayed it, not I."

"Emma was not supposed to be here. That's what you said!" Regina could feel herself practically spitting in his face.

Gold chuckled. "Ah yes, true true true! I may have helped with that. You are forgetting I can see into the future. I may have helped... persuade Snow White and Prince Charming to keep their precious Princess closeby."

"You still haven't told me how you made a dormant curse active four years later. And why Emma is living in it but not affected by it."

"Ah yes, it is knowledge beyond your need. All you need to know is that you must make sure Emma doesn't forget. It is vital for her to have the four years of memories that she now possesses."

"But wouldn't it be easier if the brat just forgot?"

Gold gave Regina another one of his smirks, that said I know so much more than you and I'm enjoying every second of it.

"Haven't you always liked a good challenge, Madam Mayor?"

* * *

Mary Margaret laid her head on her daughter's hospital bed, holding Emma's small hand in both of hers. She had severe internal bleeding, but luckily they were able to control it in surgery. Her head was almost completely unaffected, except for minor bruises and cuts on the outside. The doctors kept telling Mary Margaret how lucky Emma had been to not have had any bleeding in her brain.

_Lucky. Lucky. Lucky. What a funny word._

Mary Margaret lifted her head when the doctor came in, picking up the chart hanging on the edge of Emma's bed.

"How is she?"

"Everything looks good, Ms. Blanchard," Dr. Whale smiled and flipped a page on the clipboard chart. "All her vitals are good. The anesthesia should be wearing off any time now."

"And she'll be okay?"

"She may experience side effects such as dizziness, nausea, sore throat, drowsiness or shivering upon waking up. There are more adverse effects, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He gave Mary Margaret a flashy smile, and she couldn't help but wonder how often that smile actually worked to calm a worried family down.

"Okay," she nodded, squeezing Emma's hand. "How is David? Her father? He was in the accident."

"I'm sorry, I can't release any patient information to you unless you're an immediate family member."

"Right. I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if he was okay, is all. I understand."

"He's doing fine. Nothing too serious at all, so don't worry," Dr. Whale assured her, then winked. "I'm only telling you this because I like you."

Mary Margaret blushed uncomfortably, not sure what to say or how to respond. "Thank you. I suppose you can't tell me what kind of shape Kathryn is in? I assume worse, because she must have been rushed right here first with Emma."

"Emma came alone," Dr. Whale said, looking at the charts from the ambulance to double check. "Yeah. There was no female in the car accident."

"What? Of course there was. A blonde female. David's wife. They were all in the car together to go on vacation."

"There wasn't a third person in the car," Dr. Whale repeated, then added a joke. "Unless she magically disappeared before the ambulance got there."

"Oh," Mary Margaret tried to imagine David lying to her about leaving with Kathryn, but all she could think of was the moment with him sitting on Emma's bed, watching her fall asleep together. There had to be another explanation.

Mary Margaret felt a tiny squeeze around her palm, causing her heart to jump.

"Emma? Can you hear me? It's Mommy, I'm right here baby girl."


	7. Chapter 7 - Cursed

Emma's eyelashes fluttered, and Mary Margaret really thought her heart stopped when she could see the color in her daughter's eyes again. Had they always been so beautiful? Maybe not being able to see them causing her to focus on them more. They were more of a mix of green and blue, a magic so beautiful they looked like sea-glass.

"Emma. Hi baby, hi." Mary Margaret cradled Emma's cheek in her hand. Emma smiled and placed her hand over her mom's. "How are you feeling?" Mary Margaret asked gently. Emma did nothing but smile. "Can you... can you hear me?"

Emma stared, then nodded slowly.

"She may have a sore throat. It may be awhile before she's able to talk. I'd suggest with sticking with yes or no questions for now," Dr. Whale advised before placing the chart back on the end of the bed and leaving the room. "Let me know if you need anything," he offered as he walked out of the door. Mary Margaret barely thought to acknowledge it before turning to Emma.

"Are you feeling okay?"

A nod.

"Does anything hurt?"

Emma scrunched her nose, then looked down at her stomach and rubbed it lightly with the hand that wasn't being held.

"Your tummy?"

Emma nodded, sticking her bottom lip out to show her discomfort. She lifted her hand to her mouth to motion eating.

"You're hungry?"

A nod. Mary Margaret thought about how to go about this. Emma wasn't supposed to eat for a few hours to allow her stomach to wake up, but if she was feeling hungry?

"I'm going to get you a menu and you can point to what you want, okay?"

A nod.

"I'll be right back. You'll be okay for a minute or two?"

A nod, this time looking somewhat doubtful at the idea of her leaving. Mary Margaret wasn't crazy about it either, but the sooner she got a nurse the sooner she could be back next to Emma. As soon as she walked out, she bumped into someone's chest. She looked up, ready to apologize, certain it was the Mayor somehow.

"David? Hi!"

"Hi. How is she?"

"She just woke up. She's a little out of it. Dr. Whale says she might have a sore throat, but she hasn't spoken one word since she's woken up. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I sprained my wrist," David said, holding up the brace around his arm and wrist. "I went into shock, that's all."

"Should you be walking around?"

"I had to check on Emma."

Mary Margaret nodded, deciding not to argue. She knew she would have done the same. The thought of Kathryn crossed her mind, but she decided not to bring it up right now.

"Nurse! Excuse me, hi!" Mary Margaret said, waving down a woman in light green scrubs. "I'm sorry to bother you. Do you have a menu for the hearing impaired or something- one with pictures of the food?"

"I can definitely check! Did you want me to bring it to you if we had one?"

"That would be really lovely, thank you so much. Uh room 213, right here," Mary Margaret said, motioning to the room only steps away from them. Relieved she didn't need to walk through the hospital and farther away from Emma, she turned to David. "Come on. Maybe you can get her to say something," she turned around to walk back in the room. Emma was staring at the wall. Even though they couldn't see Emma's eyes, Mary Margaret had a feeling there was a blank gaze in them.

"Hi Emma," Mary Margaret said softly, reaching out for her hand again as she returned to the same chair next to her bed. Emma turned at the sound of her voice and smiled. Quickly she noticed David, and gave him a smile just as wide.

"How are you Princess?" David asked, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed by her feet. Emma just stared at him in response. "You can hear me, right?"

Emma nodded.

"Does your throat hurt?" he asked.

Emma looked at him like he had just announced a penguin walked through the door wearing a sombrero. She lifted her hand to her throat, as if she had to double check, then shook her head.

"Do you want to try and say something, then?" Mary Margaret suggested. Her voice was still soft and gentle, and it made Emma feel safe. In response to her question though, she turned her head to stare at the wall again.

_The crocodile talked with his hands a lot. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing was that she didn't like him, and she wanted him to go away._

"_Mum-ma!" Emma called out, even though she knew her Mom wouldn't hear. She had been woken up from her nap by the crocodile man, and Mabel was supposed to get her if she cried, but she never did. Mabel always fell asleep too. "Dada!" She tried, because she didn't know who else could save her._

"_I'm not going to hurt you, little Emma. I just want to talk to you," the crocodile said to her. "If you cry, however, I will have to make you stop. And that will hurt."_

_Emma let her lip quiver, and her fear of his threat was enough to overpower her fear of him._

"_I'm going to tell you something very, very important. So listen carefully. I know your parents. Do you know how your daddy loves you and always wants to hug you and hold you?"_

_Emma nodded._

"_Well I'm a Daddy too. And I haven't been able to see my little boy in a long, long time, and that's not very fair is it?" He asked, but didn't wait for Emma's response. "That's why I have to find him, and need your help. Do you understand what I am saying?"_

_Emma blinked at him._

"_I suppose I'll have to assume you do," he sighed. He uncurled his fist facing his palm up and Emma's eyes widened at the piece of jewelry that appeared in his hand. He raised his eyebrows, as if Emma had already should have known the necklace was for her. He motioned for her to turn around, and she was obedient. She stared at the wall as the crocodile fastened the necklace around her and Emma watched in wonder as it disappeared into her skin. She stared at the spot on her chest, her mouth agape._

"_You must remember the necklace," he ordered. "In the New World, Mommy and Daddy are going to forget they love each other, but you won't. Your necklace is going to protect you, do you understand? You mustn't ever take it off. _

"_You must believe in the reality of this world more than the reality of the New World. You must believe in Mommy and Daddy's love. As long as you remember that, the necklace will stay hidden. If it shows itself, it means you are losing the concept of your real home. If it is taken off, you will lose everything and you will become cursed, and Mommy and Daddy will never love each other again._

"_Do you understand? So long as you keep the necklace on, you WILL return to your real home in this castle. Your biggest protection is the love you feel from your Mommy and Daddy. It should keep your belief strong enough, as long it is never called into doubt."_

_Emma sniffed, trying to hold in her cries. She wanted to call out for her mom or dad again, but she was afraid to talk._

"_Mum-ma!" Emma cried when the crocodile turned around. He turned around, this time though, he got much bigger. Claws grew out of his hands and he towered over Emma's bed._

"_I told you not to cry!" His voice was booming and robot-like, instead of the riddle-y poetry he spoke with before. Emma looked up in fear as his eyes turned to black and his now claws reached down to..._

"Emma! Someone help in here!"

Emma was in the hospital bed, thrashing her arms and legs to get away from the crocodile. She tried to call out to her Mom, but she knew no sound came out.

"Emma, it's okay! It's Mommy and Daddy!" David tried, holding down Emma's arms. She wanted to tell her Dad that the man was here, she wanted to yell and scream, but she couldn't speak. Finally, after a nurse came in with a big needle, Emma's limbs fell limp. She didn't know how or why, but she could feel her heart thumping. It was louder than the other sounds in the room.

_Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub._

She could hear the sound echoing off the walls. It was so clear she was certain it was going to break her chest, jump out, and run out of the room.

_Lubdublubdublubdub._

"Emma? Sweetie? It's okay. Just close your eyes and rest for a little bit. The medicine is going to help you."

She could hear herself breathing. She heard the air falling out of her mouth as her eyes fluttered.

"Should she be wearing that necklace?"

Her eyes were drifting shut. She couldn't feel her body. Why couldn't she feel her body? She was so tired.

"Probably not. She could choke sleeping with that thing on."

It felt like the voices were a thousand miles away. Sleep was so close, so warm, so inviting. The covers were so warm. Her eyelids were a thousand pounds she finally dropped when she let them close.

"I don't even know where she got it. I've never seen it before. I'll put it on the desk for when she wakes up."

_No! Don't touch it! Don't take it! I have to bring you home!_

Emma fell into a dreamless sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 - Snow

Regina sat with her legs crossed where Gold left her, sipping on a hot coffee slowly. She was calculating, deciding her next move. She had known Emma had been sedated, per benefit of being the mayor, so she figured it was useless to go in there now and see if she remembered. She would have to get alone time with her somehow. For a moment she was filled with despair, knowing Snow White and Prince Charming would never allow her time with their precious brat. Then it hit her like the sensation of falling into a pool on a summer day. It was cool and refreshing, and made her feel outside her body.

We are in the curse. Snow is Mary Margaret, Charming is David Nolan. They may have their suspicions, but Regina can outwit them easily. Regina can do whatever she wants.

Feeling powerful and satisfied, she waltzed towards Emma's room on the second floor without much second thought. The back of her mind still knew Emma had been sedated, but she felt like so much power was emancipating off of her that it would somehow wake her up regardless. She opened the door without even thinking to knock, but quickly stopped short at what was happening inside the room.

"You must put it back on! It's important!"

"Excuse my bluntness, but why are you even visiting Emma?" Mary Margaret said, a

little shaken at the man's urgentness in insisting Emma wore the necklace.

"I'm... invested in her future," Gold explained, causing surprised looks all around, including Regina's eyebrows to twist in shock at his chosen answer. "And it is imperative she puts that necklace on."

"Did you give it to her?" David asked, eyeing the tiny stud circle pendent on the rollaway table next to Emma's bed.

"It's very important to Emma," Gold said, dodging David's question. "Please."

Regina stared at Gold, wondering if he had ever uttered that word before in his life. She didn't understand how he was begging the _Charmings_ for something. Then again, it was for Little Emma, who he thought was the most important asset to him. Still, there had to be a way to manipulate them somehow to get what he wanted, but he wasn't.

That was strangely unlike him. At least the him that he knew.

"I gave it to her," Regina said suddenly, making her presence distinctly known for the first time. "I took her out of school for ice cream. It's a thing I'm doing with all the students," Regina lied. "I want to get closer to the community so the parents feel more safe and comfortable re-electing me. It's an outreach type of thing, anyway, I bought Emma the necklace when she saw it-" Regina looked at Gold before finishing her sentence, realizing this risk was either going to pay off or completely blunder. "-she said it reminded her of how happy she was when her parents loved each other. I just couldn't say no. If it makes her so happy, I figured it was harmless, and she'll come to terms with her situation eventually, when she's ready." Regina placed her hand on Mary Margaret's arm in an effort to be comforting, and had to forcefully hold back the small smile tugging at her lips when she saw she had both of them hook, line, and sinker.

"I just didn't want her to choke," Mary Margaret explained.

"Absolutely. I'm sure she will be absolutely fine though. With such attentive parents, I believe it," Regina gave a wink to prove her point further. She watched Mary Margaret and David look at each other and nod before picking up the necklace to examine it and put it back on sleeping Emma.

For a brief second she wondered if Emma could hear them somehow, but brushed it out of her mind when she saw just how, well, _asleep_ she looked. She looked like dead weight.

At Gold's relieved expression, he turned to leave the room, Regina following behind.

"What was that?" Regina demanded.

"What was what?"

"You know what was what!"

"Are you trying to talk in riddles, Madam Mayor?"

"What is the necklace?" Regina said, flatly. "Why does Emma need to wear it so badly? Why is it so damn _important_? ...Is it... is it keeping her memories?"

Gold looked down, then looked up to make eye contact. "It was."

* * *

When Emma started waking up, she slapped her mouth open and shut a few times, feeling dry and thirsty. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was specks of blue. The room seemed to have blue all around. Blue on the walls, blue blanket, blue accents everywhere.

"Emma?"

She turned her head to see her mom and smiled. Mum-ma. She opened her mouth to speak it, but no sound came out. Her eyes felt heavy again, and she thought she might go back to sleep.

"It's okay, baby, you're tired. It's okay if you want to sleep a little more."

Emma nodded, then looked around for her dad.

"The doctors made Daddy go get some rest himself, but he's going to be back soon," Mary Margaret explained, reading Emma's face. "Do you remember what happened?"

Emma swallowed, and it sounded like a rock going down. It made her mouth a little wetter though. She could really use some water. She nodded to respond to the question, flinching a little at the memories that came flooding to her mind. She lifted her hands and slammed them into each other, making a loud crashing sound that startled her in the quietness of the room.

"Yes," her mom said, looking extra sad. "Yes, you were in an accident in the car. But the doctors made you all better, and after you get plenty of rest we're going to go home."

She nodded, then instinctively looked down at her body lying on the bed to search for injuries. She looked okay, at least to herself. She didn't like her blue gown though. On her chest, she saw the little stud pendant hanging on a necklace and her hand immediately jumped up to feel it. It was the necklace from her dream, the one the crocodile man gave her. But it was just a dream, she reasoned with herself. Even she understood the difference between dreams and what was real. She lived with Mommy, and Daddy lived with Kathryn. Mommy had short hair and they didn't live in a castle.

But this necklace was real. It was the one the crocodile man said she had to keep on until Mommy and Daddy loved each other again.

But they never loved each other.

But the necklace was real.

Emma wanted to cry, her head hurt so bad. She let out a whimper, and her mom was quickly asking her if she was okay, if she needed anything. Emma shook her head, closing her eyes once again.

Maybe in sleep she could find her way back to the crocodile man. Maybe he would explain.

* * *

Gold walked to his house, staring at the scenery of the town he passed by.

28 years of this, Gold chuckled to himself. He didn't know if he could do it. Now that stupid necklace had come off, he didn't know what would happen. If only he found a way to prevent it's visibility even with doubts. As long as Emma kept the necklace on, she would continue aging in the town. But he truly had no idea if the memories would stay or not now that it had come off, even if it was a brief amount of time. He made a mental note to keep tabs on Emma. He walked into his house, the familiar smell wavering through the hallway from the kitchen.

"I'm home," Gold called, walking to his love standing over the counter with a book in her hand. The stove was on and cooking something in a big pot, though Gold couldn't see what. It smelt delicious though. Belle's cooking always did. Although she didn't know about a life or world before, she was still Belle in this world, something Gold spent four years making sure there was no way it would somehow not happen. "How was your day?"

"It was lovely," Belle answered coyly, picking up her book to signify how she spent the hours. "How was yours?"

"About the same as always, I'd say," he answered, kissing Belle sweetly. "Dinner?"

"I was in the mood to cook," Belle explained with a laugh. "I was thinking tomorrow I could go down to the library and see what's happening. I'd like to get it started up again."

"Oh," Gold said, surprised. He thought of Regina, who for months, still hadn't figured out Belle was living with him. He supposed it didn't matter, but Regina was a nuisance to deal with. He was about to tell Belle he didn't think it was a good idea, but changed his mind. "I think that's fantastic. You absolutely should."

* * *

Emma had been awake for the longest period of time since she entered the hospital. She hadn't had any more dreams of the crocodile man, and she was more confused than ever. She knew looked like she was asleep though, because her Daddy was here and her parents were _talking. _That meant they were talking about things Emma wasn't supposed to hear.

"She still hasn't said a single word." Her mommy's voice.

"A single word? Don't you think that's a big of an exaggeration?" Her daddy's.

"No! That's the point. She hasn't said one single word. I don't think it's a sore throat. Something is wrong."

She wanted to tell them that she wanted to talk, but every time her mouth opened no sound came out. It was like her brain wanted to talk, but her mouth didn't.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you... where was Kathryn?" Her mommy's voice again. "They said there was no one else in the car."

"I haven't been able to reach her," her daddy's voice admitted. "She left before Emma and I. I suggested different vehicles because I was going to come home earlier with Emma and I figured then she could stay a few extra days. I figured she made it down there, but she would have called me back. I don't know. It's all been voicemail and she hasn't returned my calls."

"That's strange..." Her mommy's voice again. Emma couldn't wait any longer, so she opened her eyes. Her parents didn't notice at first, so she looked at them, standing at the edge of her bed. They were so _close._ They noticed her at the same time.

"Emma, you're awake," her dad said. _I've been awake, Daddy. _But she didn't say anything, of course. She couldn't if she wanted to.

"The doctors saying you're doing really good, Em. They just want to keep you overnight and as long as nothing changes, we can go home tomorrow."

This was good news. She looked at the little whiteboard and markers on the rollaway table near her bed.

"That's for you, Emma," her mom explained. "Just draw us what you want to tell us."

Emma picked up the red marker and drew three stick figures inside a square with a triangle for a roof. A small one lying on a bed, and two over the small one. One of the big ones had hair, the other had a straight line across the top of the head.

"Is that Mommy and Daddy?" her Mommy asked. "And you, at home?"

Emma nodded excitedly, happy her mom had understood. Her mom didn't say anything but kissed her on the forehead and cradled her cheek.

"I'm glad you're still the same ol' Emma," she said, and this made her daddy laugh.

You didn't answer my question, Emma wanted to say. But she didn't.

She drew a cup with a squiggly line in it, asking for water. Her mom helped her sit up before picking up the cup that was on her table. Her mom was rubbing circles on her back, and it felt warm and comforting.

The water was the best thing she had ever tasted. It was cool and refreshing in her dry mouth. Cold and refreshing. It made her think of something.

What was it?

Her headache was coming back.

What was it? She yelled at herself.

She felt wet all over herself suddenly, and looked down and realized she had dropped her cup of water all over the bed.

Her mom was assuring her, telling her it was no big deal, and her dad was getting someone in the hallway and asking for a towel.

Her mom's eyes were sad when she looked at her. Emma felt guilty for making her sad.

Snow! It made her think of Snow!

Emma felt victory for a minute, until she realized it made no sense. Thinking of snow didn't help her much at all to understand anything.


	9. Chapter 9 - KathRUN

**A/N**: Sorry for the wait! To compensate this chapter is a little longer :) I didn't want to write without inspiration, but on the plus side, I got a lot! Shoutout to jkilmer, fangirl308, amy, raquel, and more. Anyone who's left multiple reviews, I sincerely appreciate you. You make it so exciting to keep writing and keep posting! Also thank you to the people who have left any reviews at all. I can't thank you enough. Oh- maressaonce, thank you for your review! You calling my ideas brilliant left me smiling for days!

P.S. This little arc will not happen in canon. Especially David's part in it. (That's way too boring to write, personally. We already saw what happened)

* * *

Mary Margaret signed the discharge papers sitting by Emma's bed, eyeing her daughter sitting up and playing tic-tac-toe with her father. She let her lips form a small smile, and she quickly moved the clipboard to cover it.

"_That's enough for tonight," she had said warmly and only half-serious from the doorway. She watched David sitting on Emma's tiny bed, telling a story with his hands. "It's time for bed."_

"_No Mumma!"_

"_It's time for nunights, babe," she was on the other side of the bed now, and David was smiling at her. _

"_Mama's right. It's time to sleep, Princess," he kissed her forehead and Emma had huffed in defeat. She tried not to let her smile show when she said goodnight to her daughter, but when she turned around with David's arm around her waist, she couldn't hide it anymore._

Mary Margaret shook her head, wondering what the hell just went through it. She couldn't explain it or reason it. It happened randomly and sporadically with the right thought or image in front of her. She had tried to figure out where they came from or what it meant, but the only common thread between them was that they all occurred after she picked up the necklace that Emma was wearing. It was absurd. Memories didn't come from a necklace. She was obviously overtired and overstressed from everything that happened with Emma the past few days.

"Ready?" She asked, looking at Emma's proud gloat and realizing she had won their most recent game.

Emma nodded and lifted her pointer finger to lips, then thrusted it forward so it seemed to be pointing at Mary Margaret. It was the sign language way to say "Really?", one of the few signs they had been working on until Emma started speaking again.

"You betcha," she smiled, grateful she would finally sleep in her own bed tonight too. It was Christmas Eve, and this year, Emma's health felt like the most important present. She had left all her extra presents in the store when Regina had come in, but she still had the holiday she was planning before David came to her with the idea of Emma's vacation away from her.

Emma waved, then lifted her outstretched hand up and placed the tip of her thumb on her forehead, the sign for Daddy, and got into the wheelchair her mom was standing behind.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" David joked. "I'm going to come over for a little and help you get settled. That okay with you?"

Emma nodded and looked down. Mary Margaret and David looked at each other, both puzzled at her emotionless reaction. Not even a smile. Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows but pulled the wheel chair back and out of Emma's room. David held the small bag of Emma's belongings on his good arm, slightly shifting his bad one in the sling. She could see David didn't know what to make of it, and clearly was irrationally hurt by Emma's lack of excitement.

_She's four,_ Mary Margaret suddenly wanted to comfort him with. _She's going to grow up and grow out of the childhood excitement, but you've still got plenty of time. She's just out of it from the accident._ But she crushed her lips together as she walked and said nothing.

"I'll meet you at the apartment?" David asked as the approached the front lobby. Mary Margaret was about to nod, but was distracted by the interruption.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"Sheriff Graham?"

"Sorry to bother you, Miss Blanchard. I just need to ask you a few questions."

"About what?"

Graham eyed Emma looking up at him with wide eyes. "Not something that can be discussed here."

"Well, my daughter is just leaving the hospital. I can't come now. Can I make an appointment for later?"

"I need you to come willingly," Graham whispered in her ear. "Or else I will need to cuff you and bring you down."

Mary Margaret instinctively shot her hand up over chest in defense.

"David, will you take her home?" She said tentatively, knowing the answer already before turning to Emma. "Emma, Mommy is going to talk to the Sheriff for a little while. It won't be long, I promise."

Emma pressed her fingers to her thumb like a hand puppet, then touched her cheek by her mouth, then touched her cheek again by her ear. The sign for home.

Mary Margaret sighed. She didn't want to push Emma to speak, but she wondered if she was making it too comfortable not to.

"Yes, Daddy is going to take you home, and I'll be there soon."

Emma nodded and looked up at David, and Mary Margaret let Graham usher her towards the main doors.

* * *

"What is this about?" Mary Margaret demanded, as Graham ducked her head in the back of his car. "This is ridiculous!"

"I'm sorry, but my hands are tied. I can't speak about the case until I've read you your rights."

"My rights? What the heck is going on Graham?"

But she was met with silence until they arrived at the station, and her brain was firing cannonballs inside the walls of her mind. She was sitting in a metal chair, the coldness hitting the backs of her thighs even through her pants.

"You have a right to a lawyer...," Graham started, and Mary Margaret tuned him out. It couldn't be that important. Whatever was happening, it was an inconvenient misunderstanding, and her thoughts were still focused on getting back to Emma. Poor Emma, she thought. She must have thought she just left her.

"You're aware of Kathryn Nolan's disappearance?"

"Hmm?" Mary Margaret said, coming out of the trance of her thoughts. "Yes, I mean, no. I didn't know she disappeared. I thought she was visiting with family. Is that what this is about?"

"We found a box in the woods," the Sheriff explained. "It had a heart in it."

"A... heart? Like a real one?"

"We're afraid so. We believe it belonged to Kathryn Nolan."

The statement made the color drain out of Mary Margaret's face. David had said he hadn't heard from her, and she suddenly felt guilty for what she had been thinking. She had assumed Kathryn needed a break. At best she lost her phone somewhere, at worst she was leaving David, and even at worst, Mary Margaret had felt a twinkle of hope. Never had she imagined a scenario where Kathryn was... _dead. _Her hands felt cold. When she looked down at them, she could see tones of purple instead of the normal pink that clouded her white felt sick suddenly, grabbing her stomach to try and ease the nausea.

"It can't be... it can't be..."

She could feel Graham's eyes on her, watching her reaction carefully. For the first time, she realized she was down here because she was a suspect. They thought she had... _killed _her? Then stuffed her heart in a box? If it was possible, the idea made her feel even more sick.

"An anonymous tip said they saw David leaving your apartment very late last week... and

you two were seen at the pre-school's holiday party talking in the corner. Mary Margaret, if there's anything, _anything_ you need to tell me, now is the time."

"Wha- what? No... I don't. No, David was there because Emma couldn't sleep. He was sitting with her until she fell asleep because she was crying for him not to go. We were talking at the party because... for christsakes, we have a _child_ together. We have things to talk about. There was nothing... I would never..."

"We found your fingerprints on the box," Graham said solemnly, his eyes downcast. He obviously didn't believe it either.

"That's impossible-" Mary Margaret started, but stopped at the sight of the brown box in a plastic bag Graham put in front of her.

"Have you seen this?"

"Y-yes. It's my jewelry box. It went missing a few weeks ago. I had figured Emma had hid it somewhere. I wasn't that worried, I figured it would turn up..."

"It's the box Kathryn's heart was found in."

"That's impossible!"

"I'm sorry," Graham said sincerely. "But I have to place you under arrest for the murder of Kathryn Nolan. My hands are tied."

Mary Margaret shook her head in disbelief. It seemed like only moments ago her biggest problem was making sure Emma wasn't upset that she had to make a pit stop, and now she was being accused- and charged for murder.

"Do I get a phone call?" She asked, the emotion draining out of her voice.

* * *

"How are you feeling, bud?" David asked, bringing a cup of hot chocolate to the coffee table in Mary Margaret's apartment. He had considered going to his house, but he knew she would feel more comfortable here, even without her mother.

Emma lifted her open left hand to her mouth, then brought it down to rest in her open right hand. The sign for good.

"Good," David nodded, sitting on the recliner next to the couch. As soon as he sat down, the back of his pants buzzed, and he jerked up to get his phone. Emma let out a small giggle, the first sound David had heard since the accident, and he relished in the little sound of her voice. "Hello?" He said smiling, still watching Emma, who was covering her mouth with her hand.

"David, it's me. Mary Margaret."

"Hey, where are you? I brought Emma to your apartment, I figured you'd be right along so it would just be eas-"

"I need you to come down to the Sheriff's station."

"What?"

"I'll explain it all when you get here. Just please, come as quick as possible." Then a dial tone. David listened to it for a second in confusion before hanging up the phone and returning it to his pocket. Why would he need her to go to the station? She didn't say anything about bringing Emma, but he didn't really have a choice.

"Em, we have to go get Mommy. It's an emergency."

Emma looked up curiously, waiting for more an explanation that David didn't have to give. To save time, he scooped her up off the couch with one hand, slipped on his shoes at the door and grabbed hers with his free hand. Emma was smart. In other circumstances, she might have protested, demanded to know more. But she wasn't talking now, so he might as well use it to his advantage. She looped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. David had assumed she was still tired and felt bad about taking her out again. But he had assumed wrong.

* * *

By the time they walked into the station, Emma was walking on her own two feet and holding her daddy's hand. Sheriff Graham was sitting at the desk poring over papers with his back to them. After scanning the room, Emma saw her hand holding the bars first. Her eyes traveled up to the face that the hand was coming from. It was her mommy, she was sure of it before she even saw. She felt lumps forming in her throat, like those pop rocks kids snuck into school and ate as candy. She hated them so much, but it suddenly felt like an entire package was just wolfed down her throat. She swallowed to get rid of them, then squeezed her daddy's hand so he would look.

"Mary Margaret?" He let go of her hand and moved to the cell. She followed him quickly, and she could feel the Sheriff getting up behind them. "What is going on?"

"We probably shouldn't discuss this front of..." the Sheriff said, eyeing her. She rolled her eyes like all the teenagers do in movies. She latched on to her daddy's shirt so they couldn't kick her out.

"Em, can you wait by Sheriff Graham's desk for me?"

She shook her head no. To emphasize her point, she clamped her pointer finger and middle finger together with her thumb, the sign for NO!.

"It's not a choice," her dad said more firmly this time. "This is important."

"I've got some pretty cool knick knacks in the first drawer. Why don't you see if you find anything cool?"

Emma thought about the offer, then looked at her mom. She looked sad. She suddenly wished she knew she sign for snow. She didn't know why, but she felt like it would make her mom less sad. Feeling like she had no choice, she moved to the Sheriff's desk and opened the first drawer. All that was in was a bunch of pens and some sticky notes. She pulled out the sticky note and a red pen and began listening to the conversation.

She had to stop drawing to rub her forehead. Her head was starting to hurt again trying to understand the conversation between the adults. It seemed like they had been talking for hours. All she knew now was that Kathryn was gone, something about a box, and finger papers. She didn't know what finger papers were, but somehow they were the reason her mommy was behind the bars like a bad guy. She also knew her friend Regina had something to do with it, and by the way her parents spoke, they didn't like her. She squeezed her eyes and put her hands on her head, trying to make it all make sense.

"_We have to get Emma to safety," her mommy had said. There were a whole bunch of other voices too. There was auntie Red and Granny and someone kept saying the word kricket whenever she heard a certain boy voice. She knew what safety meant, because she knew what it meant to not be in safety._

"_We need to get everyone to safety," an angry voice had said. Emma didn't like him._

"_The curse is coming quickly."_

"_Rumplestiltskin said the Princess will be the Savior. She is to be protected above all us." It was her daddy's voice, and Emma smiled. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew she was the Princess._

"_You can't put her above everyone else! She gets special treatment just because she's the King and Queen's daughter? What about the rest of us?" It was the same angry voice. Emma shuddered in the corner. This voice didn't like her, and she didn't know why. _

"_She's going to save us all," a calmer voice said, then the angry voice said to shut up kricket. Shut up wasn't a good word._

"_We don't have a way to get anyone to safety," an eerily calm female voice said. It reminded Emma of a faerie. _

"_We must find a way to protect her then." Her daddy's voice._

"_We'll go see Rumplestiltskin again." Her mommy's voice. _

_Emma didn't know who that was, but she knew they were talking about protect her because something was going to happen. She curled her legs up in the corner, wanting her parents to come and find her. She didn't care that she would be in trouble, even. She crawled out of the corner and into the hallway of their castle. She knew Mabel would still be asleep, so she journeyed down to her parents sleeping room. She found what she was looking for in a frame on a table, the small extra they had done in addition to the giant pictures they had for the main hallway. She knew her parents would notice an empty frame, so she stuffed it under the bed, hoping they wouldn't look. She folded up the drawing of them and put it under her shirt, finding her way back to Mabel._

_She didn't know where safety was, but if she was going to be the only going there, she at least needed a picture._

"_Emma! What are you doing?" It was her mom's voice. She wondered briefly if she was going to get in trouble, but she decided to take the risk. She waddled over to her mom and stuck her hands up in the air. Her mom sighed, but obliged and lifted her off the ground. Emma kept one hand over her stomach, and used her free hand to wrap around her mom's neck. She buried her head in her mom's hair, promising herself that she would be brave whenever they had to send her away._

"Emma? Are you ready?"

Emma snapped her head up off Graham's desk at the sound of her dad's voice. She looked around, remembering where she was. She lifted her hand open like she was getting ready for a high five, then placed her thumb to her chin. The sign for Mommy.

"Mommy can't come with us just yet. Don't worry, Em, it's going to be okay."

Emma looked at the bars. Her mom was still behind them, looking at her. She got up off the rolling chair and ran to the bars.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. Go home with Daddy. I'll come soon."

Emma looked at her and thought about her dream, which didn't even feel made-up. Her mom was leaning down, and even though her hair was short now, it still smelt like it did in her dream.

"No, Mommy." Her voice came out more hoarse than anyone expected, and it stunned all three of the adults around her.

"What?"

"Stay." Emma said, fitting her entire hand in between the spaces between the bars. Her mom held it, and Emma took this as a success.

"Emma, it's time to go home."

Mary Margaret looked at David, who seemed to be full of sadness, anger, and disbelief. He assured Mary Margaret he knew she couldn't have done something like that, but she could see the doubt flicker in his eyes. He had said he was going to take Emma home to his place for awhile, and he'll try and stop by tomorrow with her. He'll _try. _She had no idea why it made her feel so alone.

She somehow forgot about the opinion that mattered most.

"Emma, do you remember the picture I found in your bag?" Mary Margaret said quiet enough for only Emma to understand.

"Yes."

"How did you get that? Be honest. I promise I won't be mad, and I promise to believe you."

Emma blinked. "From the castle, the big house. It was before we came here, before the curse. When we were together." She made the sign for _family._

Mary Margaret nodded and kissed Emma's hand before pushing it through the bars. "Go home with Daddy. I'll be okay."

Emma looked at her Dad, who was waiting next to Graham. Her mom had told her to go.

"Bye Mommy," she said sadly.


	10. Chapter 10 - Christmas Day

"Are we going see Mommy?" Emma asked as soon as her dad turned on the lights in her room.

"Well, good morning to you too! It's Christmas, Em! Santa came!"

Emma stared at him somberly, as if his attempt to distract her was pathetic. "I want to go see Mommy."

"Okay, okay," David agreed. "After breakfast though."

Emma crossed her arms and kicked the blankets off her with her legs. If they had to wait until after breakfast, then she would finish as soon as possible. She zipped past her dad and ran down the stairs, noting how quiet it sounded without Kathryn's voice constantly echoing through the walls. She stopped moments before crashing into the counter, realizing she had to wait until her dad got down here anyway. He strolled casually down the stairs.

"Dad-DY!" Emma whined.

"Emma," he said seriously, wiping a smile off his face. "We need to talk."

"Okay."

"About Mommy."

"Okay."

"I know you love your Mommy more than anything, but we have to talk about you living with me for a little bit."

"Why?"

"Well," David said carefully. "Mommy might be staying with Sheriff Graham for a little longer than expected."

"Why?"

"Well, they think she hurt Kathryn. We have to prove she didn't, and then she can come home."

"Here?"

"Not here, Emma. Back to your home. Where you lived before."

"Why?"

"Emma."

"I'm finished," Emma said, her mouth full of the peanut butter toast David had made her. She moved her jaw around, trying to chew it enough to not choke.

"Slow down," David laughed. "You're going to make yourself sick."

"Daddy," Emma said timidly. "Where's Kafryn?"

David pressed his mouth together while he thought. "Emma, something very bad happened to Kathryn. She's not coming home."

"Ever?"

"No," David said, waiting to see Emma's reaction. "It's just going to be me and you for a little bit, bud."

"And Mommy."

"Emma," David breathed. "I don't know when Mommy is coming home."

Emma furrowed her brows. "Why don't they believe us?"

"It's... complicated."

Emma pinched her pointer and middle finger down with her thumb strongly, then lifted her thumb from her outstretched hand to her chin, then the front of her fingers to her mouth and pulled it down to the palm of her opposite hand. _No, Mommy's good, _she was trying to say.

"Emma, use your words," David instructed, even though he understood her perfectly. Emma looked hurt, or maybe angry.

"Can we go now? Pees Daddy?"

"Okay, go get dressed and we'll go," David sighed, cleaning up the dishes. The room felt too quiet without Kathryn asking him what he was doing for the day. He wondered if he should feel sadder, or more heartbroken, or something other than what he was feeling. All he felt now was... discomfort. It was uncomfortable having something in your life changed so abruptly. It was weird, more than anything, but as much as he searched for it, he couldn't find sadness. He wondered if he was a horrible person, or if this was some type of normal abnormal reaction to grief. He convinced himself of the latter and loaded the dishwasher.

"Ready!" Emma yelled, practically falling down the stairs from tripping over her own feet. Her long sleeved orange shirt with a picture of an orange with sunglasses was halfway tucked into her green and red polka dot pants, and upon further instruction, David noticed it was inside out.

"Emma, your shirt is inside out. And it doesn't match, and if I can tell that, it's serious."

"Daddy," Emma said matter-of-factly. "There are more import-tin things than my _close._"

"Yes, but-" David tried, but at Emma's raised eyebrows, he couldn't argue. He knew he didn't want to encourage the idea that she had to look a certain way to go out. "Okay, fine. Let's go."

* * *

"Emma!" Mary Margaret called, and Emma's snow boots squeaked with what was now melted into water.

"Mommy!" Emma ran to the bars. Her mom looked tired and sad, still. "Merry Chrissmas!"

"Merry Christmas, beautiful girl! I like your outfit!" She laughed.

Emma smirked and looked at her dad through the corner of her eyes.

"Are you coming home soon?" Emma asked, and Mary Margaret had a glimpse of how the past few days should have happened. She should be setting up the apartment, waiting for Emma to come home from a vacation with David and Kathryn's family. She shivered, thinking of where they were now.

"I sure hope so. Did Santa come for you?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess."

"You didn't check?"

"The only thing on her mind this morning was coming to see you," David interrupted, even though he had told himself he would let them have their moment.

"Thanks," Mary Margaret said gratefully. "For bringing her."

"She wouldn't have allowed anything else," David smiled. "She was adamant."

"What's Adam's mint?" Emma asked curiously.

"It means you really, really wanted to come see Mommy."

"Duh!"

"Hey Emma!" Graham said with a paper bag in his hand. "I had a feeling you'd be here when I got back."

"Hi," Emma said quietly.

"I got you a donut. Do you like chocolate?" Emma nodded through her shyness. "Do you think you could take a walk with me and let Mommy and Daddy talk for a little?"

"Then Mommy can come home?"

"How about we talk about it on our walk?" Graham smiled, and Emma looked at her dad for his approval. With it, she agreed and walked out with Graham.

"I'm sorry-" Mary Margaret started as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Don't."

"I'm just sorry any of this happened. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Nothing ever happens the way it's supposed to."

"You have to know, David, I would never hurt Kathryn."

David looked her up and down, as if he was searching for hint that she was lying, but even then he knew she wasn't. There had to be an explanation behind the evidence that linked her to it. Even at her worst moments, David knew Mary Margaret would lay down her own life before taking someone away from Emma. He frankly couldn't imagine her hurting anyone. He knew it immediately, but the more he thought about it, the more clear it became.

"I know. I know it wasn't you."

"You do?"

"Somebody set you up, I know that. We have to figure out who, then we'll get you out."

"Thank you," Mary Margaret said, her eyes forming tears of gratitude. "Thank you," she repeated, softer. "I think I know who's behind it."

"You do?"

"I just... have a feeling. I have no proof, but I think... I think the mayor has something to do with it."

"To do with framing you for murder?" David asked, obviously incredulous.

"I know it sounds crazy, and I don't even have a theory to how or why. David, I can't explain it right now or else I would just sound crazy. I just need your help. We have to link her to the crime. Maybe prove she was in my apartment or something."

"Well have you ever invited her over before?"

"What? No. Not that I remember. She would have had to sneak in. I don't know how!"

"Okay," David said, calmly, rubbing his hand over his mouth. "We'll figure it out. We'll get you out."

"Can I ask... why?"

"Why?"

"Why you believe me," Mary Margaret clarified.

"Should I not?"

"No-no you should. I would never hurt her. I knew Emma would believe in me, but the fingerprints and the jewellery box... I mean, all logic points to me."

"I know who you are," David explained. "I trust you."

"I'm so sorry this happened to your wife."

"It's... okay. I don't- if you don't mind, I don't really want to talk about it." David looked at Mary Margaret, hoping this response seemed normal. He couldn't say that he didn't want to talk about it because he still didn't understand what he was feeling from it.

"David... what if I don't get out of here?" Mary Margaret asked. Her eyes were staring blankly at a spot on his arm, and she lifted her gaze to look in his eyes while she waited for a response.

"Mommy! I'm back!" Emma called before she even ran into view of them. The sound of her voice made David realize how close he was, and he took a step back. "Graham took me to the castle! It's not a real castle, it's just pretend."

"That was really nice of him, huh Emma?" David said, looking at Graham. Graham nodded, his way of saying no problem.

"Uh-huh."

"We should probably get going soon, Em."

"I didn't even get to tock to Mommy!" Emma protested, crossing her arms. Mary Margaret watched her and felt her heart sink. She had never so badly wanted to move to her daughter, to hold her and tell her she was right here, then go home with her. She had taken advantage of being so close to her in proximity because she never considered not being. For the first time, she felt truly imprisoned.

"Okay, okay. You guys spend some time together, then."

Emma smiled and walked to the bars, her hair still full of flurries of snow.

"Hi, bug."

"Hi Mommy."

"How are you doing?"

"Good. Iss Christmas!"

"So I've heard!"

"Did Santa bring you anything?" Emma asked sincerely, and the innocence in her voice was almost overwhelming.

"Well, no, but that's because I told him instead of presents for myself this year, I wanted extra gifts for the most amazing girl I know."

"Who dat?"

"I'm not sure if you know her but... her name is Emma and she's standing right in front of me right now this very second."

"Mommy!" Emma giggled. "That me!"

"Well then, you must have _extra _presents waiting for you at Daddy's house."

Emma smiled, then let it fade as her thoughts drifted. "I wish you could come to Daddy's house too."

"Me too, Em. More than anything."

Emma suddenly grabbed her necklace with her hand, then tried to pull it up over her head unsuccessfully.

"It's got a hook in the back, bug. What are you trying to do?"

"I wanted you to have a present from me. So when I leave with Daddy, you won't forget me."

"You are the only thing I think about when you're not here, Emma. The last thing your mind should be worried about is me forgetting you." Mary Margaret said it comfortingly, but her voice was laced with sorrow and guilt.

"You should still have a present," Emma said quietly, tugging on her necklace with a little less force now.

"How about you keep that necklace for me until I come home? That way as long you're wearing it, it will be like I'm right there with you."

"Okay," Emma agreed, not realizing how tightly she was holding on to the small stud. When she felt like she was going to cry, all she could think of was the promise in her dream to be brave.

* * *

"Ready for presents?" David tried, looking in the rearview mirror. Emma had thrown a tantrum when he finally said they had to leave, and she was crying the entire car ride home. Emma looked in the mirror and stared at her dad before crushing her lips together and looking out the window. "Emma, answer me when I talk to you!" He was met with more silence. Emma hadn't broken her gaze from the window. "Emma, I'm serious. Santa can take presents back, you know."

This sparked her attention, and David suddenly felt bad for using the Santa card. "He can?"

"Sure. When he thinks it's the right thing to do."

"That's not very nice," Emma pointed out.

"I'm sorry we had to go, Em. But it's getting late, and you can't stay there all day."

"Mommy does."

"That's different, Emma."

Emma responded by staring out the window again. She told herself to be brave, but she started crying again when she remembered leaving.

"I'm sorry," David tried at Emma's quiet tears. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Emma shook her head and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

* * *

She sat in the motel and stared at the suitcase on the floor in front of her. She tried to focus. She held her face and squeezed her eyes, hoping some new memory would come flooding back. Nothing. She had showered and scrubbed her skin raw, but she still felt dirty. She had an itchy feeling all over her skin, like bugs were crawling underneath it.

The last thing she could remember was driving towards the town line. She remembered her deal with Gold, the suitcase full of money that had been promised to her if she left and never contacted her husband again. She wasn't proud of it, but she took it. She wasn't a horrible person though. She wasn't going to leave with no explanation. She was going to explain herself on the trip with David, say a final goodbye to him and Emma. She still hadn't decided if she was going to be completely honest or if she was going to say a family member was sick.

She had remembered that was her last thought before the bright light that made everything dark.

She was faintly aware of waking up in the woods and being sure of her death. It felt like her intestines were being ripped out one by one, it was so painful. She could somewhat recall hoping her death would come quicker, and her last thoughts were regretting what she was doing to David and Emma, even Mary Margaret.

But now she was in a motel, and from that moment to waking up in this dirty bed was completely blank. She had woken up in dirty clothes, which made her feel like her memories in the woods and what happened were real. The suitcase was closed on the floor, halfway under the bed and she had quickly pulled it out and checked for the money. She had found all of it, and a note.

_Kathryn,_

_Here is your second chance at your second chance. Don't mess it up. _

_You won't get another one._

That was all. It wasn't signed from anyone. The only thing she knew was that it wasn't Mr. Gold, because she had known his handwriting from before. It could have been anyone else. She knew what it meant though; it was her second chance to leave. She knew messing it up meant contacting David.

She didn't know what not getting another one meant. Would she lose the money... or something worse?

She had wished she had relatives to really call, but all her family had died when she was young. She had no living relatives. Her only family was in Maine, and they must think she just abandoned them. She had enough money to start over, though. Anywhere in the world. She had always thought about the sun in California.

Could she really just accept the note and money and leave with no further answers? Maybe. But she didn't know if she could just leave David with no answers, either.


	11. Chapter 11 - I did

"You called?" Mr. Gold walked into Regina's office, leaning on his cane. Regina looked up from the paperwork in front of her.

"I want answers." Regina demanded, slamming down on the stack of papers somewhat forcefully with clenched hands.

"I can't be of much help if I don't know the questions, dearie."

"You're forgetting who runs this town," Regina said, getting up and moving close to his face. "_I'm _in charge here."

"Of course," Gold smirked. "Of course you are."

* * *

Mary Margaret had counted the tiles on the wall about a thousand times over now. She had made number games and everything, just trying to keep her mind stimulated. She had tried sleeping more, but sleep was near impossible on the cot in this small square of space. She let out a heavy sigh without even thinking about it.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blanchard," Graham said, closing a manila folder on his desk and getting up to put in a file cabinet.

"I think we're close enough for you to call me Mary," Mary Margaret said, sitting upright.

"Right, sorry." Graham shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"You sure have a lot of work to do on Christmas day," Mary Margaret said suspiciously, and Graham looked at her guiltily.

"I didn't want to leave you alone," he confessed.

"That's nice of you Sheriff. But I'll be okay."

"It's okay. I don't really have much to go home to."

"Well then... thanks."

Graham nodded, pulling out another folder from the file cabinet and sitting back down at his desk.

"Can I ask you something, Sheriff?"

"Sure."

"Do you think there's any way to prove I'm not linked to the crime?"

Graham let out a loud breath. "I don't know, Mary. It will be a pretty tough sell for anyone who doesn't know you so well."

Mary Margaret nodded, her eyes filling up with tears again. Her voice broke when she spoke. "I can't miss my baby grow up. She needs me."

"I am so, so sorry," Graham said sincerely, but it did nothing to relieve the feeling in Mary Margaret's stomach that she just got punched.

"It's not your fault, Graham. I don't blame you."

Mary Margaret waited for his reply, but was distracted by the sound of Emma and David. She was hallucinating. It was David's voice, but filled with the urgency and excitability of Emma's. She must be somehow imagining it, her brain mixing the two together.

"Sheriff! Sheriff!" David ran in, his cheeks red with the coldness of the air. Mary Margaret widened her eyes at his expression. There was a phone rattling in his hand, but he was holding on to it for dear life. "You need to take the phone. Talk!"

Graham looked at him skeptically, but at the phone being thrust in his face, he took it. "Hello?"

"Where's Emma?" Mary Margaret asked.

"With Granny and Ruby at the Diner. I dropped her off. Mary Margaret, it's Kathryn."

"What?" Her mouth suddenly felt unbearably dry. What was he talking about? The reason she was in here? She already knew why she was in here. Kathryn was dead.

"On the phone," David explained. "Kathryn called me. It's really Kathryn!"

"What?" Mary Margaret repeated, and David stared at her.

"Kathryn isn't dead. She's on the phone," David repeated. His mind clouded with the guilt that he felt when she called, because his first thought hadn't been relief that she was okay, but relief that it meant Mary Margaret could get out of jail.

"What?"

"Are you hearing me?"

"What? Yes! I just- what?! Does Emma know?"

"Not yet. I just wanted to be sure it was going to work out before I, you know, got her hopes up."

"Right. Of course." Mary Margaret let her head fall into her hands. "I can't believe this," she said, lifting her face up and showing the tears clouding her eyes. "I'm so... happy."

"I knew you would get out," David admitted, smiling. "I knew you would."

"You believed in me when nobody else did." Mary Margaret didn't know what else to say, because she had no reason why he should have. She didn't have any memory of being with David, she didn't even know if she would remember knowing him if they didn't have the ultimate proof of it. The only explanation for it... the only way she could make it make sense was if Emma was right. If she did what she promised and believed in Emma the way Emma believed in her. She bit the side of her bottom lip thinking about asking David about it, but decided to keep it quiet.

"Well," Graham said, returning the phone to David. "I'm in a tough spot."

"A tough spot?"

"It's measly evidence to not see her in person," Graham started. "There are ways to fake a phone call I'm sure, and I'm sure I'll get hell for this, but it _is _my department. I have to go by not only circumstance, but context. I believe the phone call was legit and honestly, I'd take any evidence to let you out. Until and unless further evidence is brought to my attention to contradict the phone call, I'm letting you go."

"Thank you!" Mary Margaret and David said it simultaneously. As soon as Graham opened the door to the cell, Mary Margaret fell into David's arms. When she realized she was leaving tear stains on his shirt, she pulled away and tried to compose herself.

"Sorry..." she mumbled, looking at the spot on his shirt.

"Don't worry about it," David laughed.

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, hope and excitement running out faster than she could get the name out.

"She's going to be in for a big surprise," David smiled. Mary Margaret nodded and realized she was holding on to David's hand. She started walking, still holding, hoping he didn't pull away.

* * *

"Do you have french fries here?" Emma asked, leaning over the counter. She remembered she wasn't supposed to put her elbows on the table and made herself sit back.

"We do," Ruby said coyly. "Would you by any chance... like some?"

"For real?"

"I think we can manage a little for you," Ruby winked.

Emma smiled with her whole face and nodded when the jingle of the door opened. She glanced over curiously and saw her Dad. She forgot for a moment where he was coming from and got off the barstool to run to him, when she saw her mom behind him.

"Moooommmmmyyyyyy!" Emma said, running so fast towards her mom she would have crashed into her if Mary Margaret didn't already have her arms open and waiting.

"I missed you so much!" Mary Margaret kissed different spots on Emma's head, squeezing her so tight, she was worried she might break her daughter and had to pull back a little.

"You're home for good?"

"You betcha," she smiled.

Emma's eyes twinkled, and she moved her head back into the neck of her mom. When she pulled back, she looked at both of her parents.

"Can we go to the hopsital?"

"The hospital? Why?" David asked.

"I promised Santa if he got Mommy to come home, I would give away all my other presents from him!"

"Oh, bug. This had nothing to do with Santa. You can still keep all your presents. Speaking of... I think there might be a few left for you at home."

"This is the best Chrissmas EVER! Can Daddy come over?"

Mary Margaret looked at David, who was awkwardly holding his hands in front of him. "If he wants to, I think it would be lovely."

"Yay! Please Daddy?!"

"Okay," David agreed, putting his arm around Emma and giving her a little half hug. He looked up at Mary Margaret, as if he had to explain. "I don't really want to be alone. I mean, if you don't mind..."

"Not at all," she smiled and assured him.

* * *

Regina closed the oven with her foot, her heel slightly clicking on the handle. She brushed off her hands with her apron, looking at the single apple turnover she had baked a delicious golden brown. It smelled delicious, and she was almost tempted to eat it herself. It wasn't for her though, she reminded herself.

She put it in a plastic container and left the pan in the sink, telling herself she'd worry about it later. She left her apron draped over the kitchen chair and made her way to the small apartment, where she was sure the entire family would be waiting for her.

If she couldn't get answers from Gold, she would have to weasel her way through the little brat's memories.

* * *

Mary Margaret and David watched Emma kneeled over her wrapped presents. Watching a four year old was more than entertaining. The bigger presents she would breeze by, but literally have her breath taken away over the excitement of a new box of crayons. The knock on the door surprised all of them.

"Were you expecting someone?" David asked, suddenly feeling like he overstepped by coming over.

"No, I'm not. I have no idea who it could be," Mary Margaret explained, getting up and straightening out the skirt she had changed into when she got home. If a spending a night in a cell didn't warrant the best shower ever when you returned home, Mary Margaret didn't know what would. She looked through the peephole in the apartment, then scrunched her eyebrows together and opened the door.

"Madam Mayor?"

"Hi Ms. Blanchard. It's lovely to see you. I came by to drop something off for Emma," Regina smiled, holding up the tupperware with the apple turnover.

"Well, that is... nice of you...," Mary Margaret said hesitantly.

"Oh, David! I didn't see you there!" Regina said with fake surprise and a fake smile.

"Get out!" David ordered, and Mary Margaret and Emma both stopped what they were doing to look at him with surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out. I know what you did! I talked to Kathryn. She told me everything. I know... I know about the note and the threat."

"The note?" Regina asked, and gave David pause. She looked genuinely surprised. She's a master manipulator, David reminded himself.

"David, don't," Mary Margaret stepped over to him to stop him from getting closer to Regina.

"I'll go," Regina offered, putting her hand up. "But I think you two lovebirds should have a little better communication," she winked. "I just wanted to bring this for Emma. Have a good holiday," Regina smiled before walking out, not one of caring and sweetness, but a smile of triumph.

"I'm sorry I got carried away. I should... I should probably go," David offered, picking up his coat before moving towards Emma, who was still sitting quietly on the floor. She was no longer opening presents, but staring at her parents, waiting for their next move.

"David, wait. Before you go, I think... well, before you go, we need to talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"About Kathryn."

"I already told you, I believe you. I don't want to talk about anything else regarding it."

"It's not about me being accused. It's um- maybe we should talk about this another time." Mary Margaret moved her eyes to look at Emma watching them with vested interest.

"Just spit it out, Mary Margaret."

"What Kathryn told you," Mary Margaret started, feeling the backs of her teeth with her tongue. She accidentally bit down on her tongue and tried not to yelp in pain. "About the note she found. Regina didn't leave it. I did."

* * *

**A/N:** Mmm plot twist:) Explanation in the next chapter! As always THANK YOU to the reviewers who got me getting this chapter up super quickly!

Also if you didn't know, I don't own any of this. At all.


	12. Chapter 12 - Excuses

"What?"

"I left the note, David. For Kathryn."

"I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you sit in jail when you knew she was alive? Why did you let me think my wife was _dead?"_

"I didn't know! When they said they found her heart, I had no idea what happened. I thought that somebody had got to her somehow and hurt her. I really did think she was dead and I was being framed. You already know, I would have never hurt her," Mary Margaret looked at David's blank expression, and held his arm to guide him to the chair to sit down in the living room. She had already sent Emma on cleaning-your-room-so-there-would-be-room-for-your-new-toys duty.

"Just. Tell me everything. Please."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Regina and I pulled up to the scene of the accident. She had some urgency that we had to find you. I had no idea what it meant, but anyway, we came up to this big accident scene where you were just walking around. I got you in an ambulance and then went to Emma right away. Emma was my only thought. I drove with Regina to the hospital, but left her to go to the family waiting room. Emma was in surgery, and it was taking forever, and I was driving myself crazy with what could go wrong. I decided to take a walk to try and clear my head, which didn't end up really working. I ended up at the store where I left my car so I decided to drive it back to the hospital, except that's not where I went. I went back to the scene of the accident. I don't know why, but I thought your car would still be there with Emma's suitcase. I wanted to get her baby blanket so she would have it when she woke up. When I got there it was still taped off, but no one was there anymore, including your car. Then I heard screaming. It sounded like someone was in pain. I went in the woods and saw her lying there. God, she looked like she was slowly dying. There was a suitcase lying next to her in the woods, so I opened it to see what it was. It was full of money and immediately I knew. She was running away. I have no idea how this accident happened to both of you, but it did. I don't know why I didn't bring her to the Storybrooke hospital. I guess I could have saved her life. I... when I found out she was running away, I was... _happy."_ Mary Margaret stopped to wipe the tears of guilt forming in her eyes. She might as well just be completely honest. "I didn't want her to come back to the town and you guys to work it out. I wanted her to leave you. I know it was selfish of me, and if I could take it back, I would, I swear David, I would. But I left her the note with her money and then dragged her over the state line and called the police, saying that there was a woman who was in a wreck on the side of the road in the woods of Rockland so they would send their police and take her somewhere else. I didn't even mention it was near Storybrooke just in case. I'm so sorry, David. It was so selfish of me. It wasn't supposed to be a threat at all. I thought it was what she wanted."

David ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his face a little too hard. Losing Kathryn was one thing, but having lost her when she was still with him was a whole other idea.

"You should have told somebody."

"I know."

"That doesn't explain the heart."

"I know. I still think the Mayor has something to do with that. For some reason, she wanted to frame me for a murder that didn't happen."

"It was somebody's heart."

"I don't know whose," Mary Margaret said, wondering if David would ever believe anything she said ever again.

"I should go," David suggested, picking up his jacket again.

"I'm so sorry." Mary Margaret repeated. David nodded and walked down the hallway to Emma's room.

He knocked slightly on Emma's cracked open door to give her a warning, but pushed open the door anyway when he got no response. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Emma sprawled along her floor among all her old toys. Her toy box was hollow, emptied out, and Emma was passed out by the mess of it's remnants.

"Mary Margaret," he whisper yelled down the hall. "You have to see this."

"Oh my god," she said, standing in the doorway. "Let me get my camera." She appeared moments later with her eye looking through the camera lens.

"Cleaning your room can be pretty tiring," David joked.

"I think it's been a long couple days for all of us. It's just finally catching up to her."

"Yeah," David agreed, thinking about their previous conversation. He moved to pick her up and put her on her bed, while Mary Margaret cleared off the few toys that Emma had placed on it. She pulled the blankets down while David lowered her in. "I'll call you so we can figure out the next time I'll get Emma?"

"Yeah. Sure. Listen, I'm sorry agai-"

"Would you do it again?" David asked. By this point, they were walking through the hallway and almost at the front door.

"W-what?"

"Would you do it again? Now that you know she's alright?"

"N-no! I mean... I don't know. I regret it, David."

He nodded and walked out, convincing himself he only needed time to process this information.

* * *

David walked into his house, and the sadness that had been absent before suddenly came over him like a wave in the ocean when you were facing the shore. It caught him off guard, and for a moment, he felt like he was drowning. He needed to resurface again, he needed air. He needed a reminder that the world was still up there waiting for him.

In a strange way, Mary Margaret's confession had made him miss Kathryn more. He realized how vastly different they were, and more than anything he craved the familiarity that was Kathryn.

More than anything though, he felt despair so crushing that at moments it felt like he couldn't breathe. Her confession, more than making him miss Kathryn, made him realize something incredibly important about himself. He had wanted to be with her. He wasn't sure when it happened, or how, but it had happened somehow. Maybe it was Emma's stories, or the way she loved Emma, or the way he could believe in her when nothing else made sense. He couldn't put a solid reason to it. And the sadness that overwhelmed him wasn't over losing the familiarity of Kathryn, but the excitement of being near Mary Margaret. Being around her made him feel something he could never remember feeling before, and yet it felt so familiar somehow.

What she did was wrong. He could not deny it, could not pretend it wasn't a big deal. It was wrong. But he couldn't stop thinking about the idea that it meant Mary Margaret was feeling the same things he was. If she was, he could understand the confusion she must have felt that's constantly clouding his brain. Maybe he could forgive her, but he wasn't sure if he could forget.

He wasn't sure if she could, either.

* * *

Mary Margaret watched the door close as David left, then walked slowly to the area where Emma had been opening presents. For a few moments before Regina arrived, it had felt like the three of them were a family. She couldn't stop thinking about the picture Emma had, the feeling she had with David, the fuzziness of her past.

She picked up some of the wrapping paper left behind on the floor, then spotted the tupperware on the counter with the homemade apple turnover. It looked delicious, cooked absolutely perfectly. She opened the container and tilted it so the turnover would fall in the trash, then stopped herself. She was being ridiculous. Regina was the mayor of the town. She wouldn't frame somebody for murder, and she most definitely wouldn't poison a random citizen. Of course she wouldn't. She would get caught. She put the tupperware back on the counter.

Better safe than sorry, she reminded herself, and tossed the turnover into the trash. When she returned the container, she would tell Regina it was lovely, and that her and Emma split it and watch her reaction. Even if she was being ridiculous, there was no harm in it as long as she didn't tell anyone her theories. Feeling better about her decision, she put the container in the sink and walked to Emma's room. She was sleeping soundly, and Mary Margaret decided to clean up the toys to surprise her when she woke up.

Something about being with Emma made her feel a little less alone, even if Emma was fast asleep.

* * *

"What can I get for ya?" Granny asked, though she knew the answer.

"The usual," Regina answered tersely. Though her annoyed tone wouldn't express it, she was adequately pleased. She had seen David driving home with a sour expression on his face, meaning it worked exactly as she hoped. She could tell by Mary Margaret's expression when she stopped over that she didn't trust her, which is exactly what she expected. Most likely, Mary Margaret would throw the turnover out, but no matter what she did with it, it wouldn't matter. It was just a regular apple turnover. She could have eaten it herself if it wasn't a reason to go see Emma and force a confession out of Mary Margaret.

As soon as she heard Mary Margaret was out of jail, she knew the call had come. After placing the suitcase by Kathryn for Mary Margaret to find and following her into the woods the night of the accident, she knew it would be coming eventually. She had ripped Kathryn's heart out so the scream would lure Mary Margaret towards the scene of it, but watched with interest as she dragged Kathryn towards the town line instead of towards her car. She was sure Mary Margaret would try to drag her towards the hospital to save her, where Regina could use the heart she held to incriminate her on murder charges. When she left Kathryn by the town line, Regina had to change her own plan. The only part of it that did not work was setting up the heart as Mary Margaret's doing to drive David, and his precious morality complex, away. It seemed to bring them... almost closer, which was the only thing that left Regina puzzled. To her dismay, she had unfortunately had to actually use the truth. She was sure Mary Margaret taking the bait would be unforgivable to David, and to herself. She laughed a little, realizing the only person who wouldn't hate Mary Margaret, including Mary Margaret herself, would be the little brat.

As Granny placed a full mug and plate in front of her, she smiled again thinking of David's face driving. It was filled with such hopelessness and anguish. It was finally happening the way it was supposed to happen.

Now that Mary Margaret thought she had the upper hand with Regina by being smart enough to throw away the completely harmless turnover, she would get what she really wanted.

The little brat's head.

Yes, Gold would see soon enough that she meant what she said. It was _her _town.

And it was _her _happy ending. She would do whatever it took to get it.

"Ms. Mayor?" Granny said, snapping Regina back into reality.

"What?" She responded harshly. She looked up, not caring to hide her annoyance, and saw that the owner of the diner looked frantic and was holding a towel. She looked down at the counter and saw hot coffee spilled all over it, dripping off the edge and onto her black pants. She shot up in surprise, wiping her pants with her bare hands and cursing under her breath.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Belle asked, coming up behind Gold.

"Nothing interesting," he said casually, closing the brown box over what he was holding so Belle couldn't see.

"It seems rather interesting," Belle said, tilting her head up to look at the box.

"It's not, I assure you," Gold smiled. "How's the library project going, my dear Belle?"

Belle smiled. "I looked in the windows, just to get a look. Oh, I'm sure it has so much potential! I really want to get it up and running, but I just don't know how... unless I talk to the Mayor! I'm sure she will okay the project!"

"That's a great idea, love," Gold said sincerely. "She has dinner at Granny's diner every night at five. You should see if you can catch her."

"Really?" Belle asked skeptically. Though grateful for the support, it was coming out of nowhere.

"I think so. It's worth a shot."

Even though it wasn't what she was questioning, she gave him a kiss and excitedly put on her coat, the same one that had been gathering dust on the coat rack. She gave his hand a quick squeeze before she left. Gold smiled until the door closed, then breathed in relief.

Normally he would be nervous, but what he was about to do would protect her, and everyone else who's protection he was interested in. He put his coat on, hanging opposite to the now empty hook where Belle's was, and tucked the brown box under his arm.

The bell on his door rang as it closed behind him.

* * *

**A/N: **WOW! Thank you for the reviews! So incredible, I can't think you guys enough! I'm so glad you guys are liking this story! Soooo I wanna know what you guys think... was what Mary Margaret did understandable under the circumstances or inexcusable? What should David do?


	13. Chapter 13 - Mistakes

"Ready for your first day back?" Mary Margaret smiled, flicking on the light switch. She could see Emma's little eyes already open through the dark, and they squinted with the light filling the room.

"I'm tired Mommy," Emma argued before turning on her side to face the opposite direction.

"I know," Mary Margaret sympathized and moved to her bed to lift the covers off her head. "But didn't you miss all your friends? And your teachers?"

"Yeah..." Emma said, half-convinced.

"Not to mention, I think there are chocolate chip pancakes that might be waiting for you in the kitchen."

Emma shot up with her mouth open.

"You're the best mommy in the WHOLE world!" Emma got out of bed and moved to her dresser, where Mary Margaret and Emma had already picked out her outfit the night before. Mary Margaret smiled, thinking that if everyone in the world was a little more like Emma, everyone would be a little happier and better off for it.

"Daddy's going to pick you up today from school, okay?"

"Okay," Emma said, struggling to pull the collared shirt over her head. She wrestled her arms through the sleeves so she could tug it down. She spoke when it still covered her face. "Can me and you and Daddy ever have dinner again?"

Mary Margaret moved to Emma to help her pull the shirt down. When it was, she adjusted the collar then looked Emma in the eyes, seeing that blind hope and optimism still there. Although things were going back to normal, she still had flashes of the fear of losing her in the accident, and the fear of losing her when she woke up. Still, it was Emma, exactly who she remembered. Although, there were small differences Mary Margaret had begun to pick up on. Though she still proposed Mary Margaret and David should be together, it was more of a normal child's proposal. She was much less adamant on their past.

She combed over Emma's messy hair with her hands then tucked it behind her ears.

"Maybe, someday. Not right now though, okay?"

Emma stared at her mom. "Daddy's mad at you."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret said it more out of shock than scolding. "Why do you say that? Did he say something to you?"

Emma shook her head. "When I asked Daddy he looked mad. When I asked you, you looked sad."

Mary Margaret's mouth dropped at the logic. She didn't want to lie, and she didn't know how to bend the truth when Emma had watched and understood something so accurately.

"You know, you might be too smart for me."

"You're pretty smart too, Mommy," Emma assured her seriously. Mary Margaret couldn't help but smile and kiss her nose. In response, Emma wrinkled it.

"Can you brush your teeth all by yourself and meet me downstairs?"

"Yes!" Emma said, brushing past her to show off her independent teeth-brushing skills, excited to finish the last stop before chocolate chip pancakes.

* * *

Gold woke up with a sense of calm pleasure. Next to him was a note from Belle on the pillow, saying that she had early work to do at the library and she'd be home for lunch time. Gold exhaled and grabbed his cane while he sat up.

Regina still had no idea what Gold had did, or the power she now had. It was his plan to keep it that way, until little Emma figured out hers. Although things had not exactly been going to plan for him lately, they were working out exactly as he needed them to.

Yes, today would be the day.

He walked to his shop and stood behind the counter, counting the seconds he had left until...

"Gold!" Regina's voice came almost before the bell of the door, but it rang in tune with it.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" He smiled.

"How did this happen?" She demanded, flicking her hand and making a glass bottle fall off the counter and shatter into pieces. Gold stared at her.

"Now was that really necessary?"

"What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"Who else could have done it?"

"Regina," Gold said in a tone that startled her. "Why did you okay the project for Belle without giving me hell for keeping her from you?"

Regina smiled. "Finally, I've left you with questions," she said in a low voice. "Now you understand what it is like. I'll answer if you answer a question for me."

"Fine," Gold said reluctantly. "Tell me why you didn't try to hurt Belle and I'll answer one question of yours."

Regina nodded carefully. "I've known the whole time, I haven't figured out why. I figured having something over you would be useful if I ever needed it."

"So you didn't attempt harm to her for the sake of being able to inflict harm on her at a later time?"

"It's my turn to ask a question," Regina reminded him. When he nodded, she continued. "Tell me how the curse was enacted four years later."

Gold sighed, as if he was fully aware the question was coming.

"I knew Emma's existence would keep the curse dormant. That's why I showed Snow White and her Prince Charming the flashes from Emma's future while Snow was still expecting Emma. I knew what the visions would do to them, the choice that they would be unable to make. I knew what it meant for the curse. There's a reason I needed to put it off. The condition of the curse that I did not tell you was that with Emma, it depends on the assurance Little Emma has on her parents love being unconditional and unfailing."

"I don't understand..."

"After Emma's birth, the only thing left needed to enact the curse was Emma's understanding. As soon as she could understand the concept of true love, and felt it for herself to know it was real, I could bring your curse back fully."

"But why? Why did she need to understand true love before you could enact it?"

"Because love, dearie, is her strength. Made from her parents, once she understood love, she would believe in it enough to not stop believing until the curse was broken."

"Okay," Regina said, calculating. "But this is part of the question, so you have to answer. You saw the visions, you knew Emma would get away and come back and break the curse. Why would you do all of this?"

"I had interests of my own."

"I _demand_ you to tell me," Regina said frustratedly.

Gold smirked. "I'll tell you. With a condition."

"What is it?" She snapped.

"I'll tell you my motives... if you agree to owe me a favor."

"Absolutely not!"

"Very well," Gold smiled. "It was nice talking to you, Madam Mayor."

Regina flared her nostrils and turned to leave, then whipped back around.

"Fine. Tell me."

"My reason was Belle." Gold said simply, and Regina's mouth twitched a little at the obviousness of it, and yet she hadn't thought of it herself. "I had to save her from you."

"How did you..." Regina started, but trailed off. Gold knew everything, she reminded herself. Of course. She hadn't done anything, but even the thought was unsafe inside her own head. Regina set her jaw and stared at him. "I need to find Emma."

* * *

David ran into Emma's school building, clutching his stomach and panting.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he started, standing over the front office desk. "The traffic pile up came out of nowhere..."

"It's fine, Mr. Nolan," the receptionist smiled. "Her mother came to pick her up and left this note for you."

David looked at it and scrunched his face in confusion. It was typed, and looked oddly professional.

_Dear David, had to get Emma. Will call and explain as soon as I can. -Mary Margaret."_

"Emma already left?" David asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh. Okay, thanks."

David walked much slower out the front door then he came in. He wondered what could have been so urgent that Mary Margaret just needed to take her. He hadn't seen Emma in four days, which was the longest he could ever remember.

Then, suddenly, he was angry. Unless Emma was in the hospital or worse, there was no reason she should have taken her on his day. And if it was anything serious, she should have called him to let him know. He was sick of feeling like the weekend parent.

He sat in his car for a long time before deciding to drive over to Mary Margaret's apartment.

* * *

"Thank you, Ms. Blanchard. For staying after with me and helping me. It's just the names of the oceans always mess me up."

"It's no problem, Kate," Mary Margaret smiled, giving her a light rub on the back. "I'll see you tomorrow. You'll be all ready for the quiz?"

"You bet! I'm going to study those flash cards all night!"

Mary Margaret laughed at her sweet student. "Don't forget to give yourself a little break, though, okay?"

Kate nodded and smiled before running off to the parked car waiting out front. Mary Margaret slung the bag with all her students papers in it over her shoulder and moved to her car. She sighed, thinking of what leftovers in the fridge she had for one tonight and what David was doing with Emma. She looked at the clock on her dashboard as she pulled up and saw that she still had two hours before he would bring her back.

She parked her car and picked up her bag off the passengers seat. Parking in front of her apartment building, facing the other way, was David's truck. She furrowed her brows and walked over, knocking on the window.

"David? Where's Emma?" She asked, but realized he couldn't hear her when he started to move to open the door.

"Where's Emma?" They said in unison.

"What do you mean where's Emma? It's your day with her! Did you not pick her up from school?" Mary Margaret's brain was racing. Why wouldn't have they called her to come get her?

"You mean you don't have her?" David asked, his previous anger returning and subsiding all within the moments since he heard the tap on his window.

"You were supposed to pick her up from school!"

"Don't you think I _know_ that?" David snapped. "When I got to the school they said you had already picked her up and gave me this!" David shoved the typed note into Mary Margaret's hands. She opened it and stared.

"I didn't leave this..." She said slowly.

"Then who did?!"

"I don't _know_ David! If I did, do you think I'd be here talking to you?" Mary Margaret felt the harshness in her tone and coiled back. Things had been awkward at best since he left after Mary Margaret's confession, but they handled it by not speaking except for arranging their schedule with Emma. This was their first conversation since, and it wasn't going so hot.

David nodded, as if he understood what she meant. "What's important right now is finding Emma. We should talk to the school and get a description of the person who picked her up.

Mary Margaret nodded and stepped up into David's truck. The weight of what was happening hadn't really sunk into her yet; the idea of Emma being missing was still floating on the top of her brain like a silly little nightmare. There was no reason to get upset, she told herself, not until she knew what was happening. She closed her eyes before the hysterics came.

"Mary Margaret..." David said softly.

"This is not happening." She clamped her lips together so they wouldn't quaver, but the sadness still fell out of her eyes. "This is a really bad dream. I'm going to wake up soon sweaty and screaming, then I'll check on Emma sleeping peacefully in her bed, and then we'll go to the Christmas party at her preschool. Everything since then... it's just been a really bad dream."


	14. Chapter 14 - Home

Regina swirled around the spoon in the ceramic mug and handed it to Emma. Emma looked at her with wide eyes, and Regina sighed, pulling down the bandana tied around her mouth.

"Aghh!" Emma exhaled in relief. "Where's my Mommy?"

"Emma, I need you to be really quiet, and then I don't have tie your mouth again. Do you understand?"

Emma stared.

"If you're too loud, I'm going to tie it again. Do. You. Understand?"

Emma looked down at her feet, curled into each other as her ankles were tied. She had dirt on her white and pink sneakers. Her hands were tied uncomfortably behind her back to the posts of the chair.

"I want my Mommy and Daddy." Emma repeated.

"If you talk again I'm going to tie this so tight you won't be able to breathe. Do you understand _that?_"

Emma nodded quickly, willing herself not to cry. Her parents would come for her. They would bring her home soon. She knew it.

Plus Regina was her friend. She didn't know why she was doing this, but she wouldn't really hurt her. Not like the crocodile man, who was scary.

* * *

"Please try to think," Mary Margaret exhaled to stop herself from yelling. "Who was the person that picked up Emma today?" She looked at the phone, then at David. When they got to the school the office was closed, but after canvassing the hallways they found a lone teacher grading work in his room. He had used his keys to open the door and directed her to the phone number to the faculty in charge of dismissal.

"She didn't get out of the car, the teachers bring them out to the parking lot and the kids go to the car. Whoever it was, Emma obviously knew her. I only saw the back of her head. It was short black hair, I assumed it was y-"

"Yeah," Mary Margaret barked, "well you assumed wrong!"

David looked at Mary Margaret, then reached out his hand to hold hers. She didn't fight it, instead, laced her fingers in between his and gave it a light squeeze. She felt calmer when he returned it.

"We're going to find her," he said softly, pressing the button to hang up the phone. He placed it back on the reciever.

"Regina took her," Mary Margaret felt like she was going to fall over as soon as she said it out loud, as if she had just made it real herself by voicing it.

"And we're going to find her," David repeated, this time more assuring.

"What if she's hurting her?"

"Please don't, Mary Margaret. We don't have time to torture ourselves," he started, pulling her arm towards the door. She nodded in agreement, but he didn't see her. He wasn't looking at her, only towards the exit, towards the car, towards Emma.

* * *

Regina looked in the mirror, feeling disgusted with herself.

She could practically feel the goodness coming off of her just by looking like this. Looking like Snow White made her feel like she was Snow White. She made another disgusted grunt then walked back towards the room where tied up Emma sat. She was staring at her feet, at the spot of dirt on her sneakers. Regina rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat.

"Mommy?" Emma asked hesitantly. "Mommy! You came for me! You came to get me!"

Regina swallowed before speaking. "Yes hunny! Time to go home! I'm going to untie you now."

Emma stared and nodded, practically shaking of excitement at the idea of being loose again. She couldn't even feel her arms and legs anymore, they were all pins and needles from not moving.

"First we have to talk, though," Regina tried to make her voice as sweet as Mary Margaret's but it felt bitter in her mouth. She fiddled with the ties on Emma's hands, pretending to try and undo them. "About everything."

Emma nodded.

"Do you remember where you- we used to live?"

Emma shook her head.

Regina fought the urge to slap her upside it and call her an idiot. "Think really hard, Emma. This is very important."

"Is Regina going to come back? Is she going to hurt me?"

"It doesn't matter, Emma!" Regina snapped, and Emma bowed her head. "I'm sorry," Regina tried. "Don't worry, she's not going to come back and hurt you unless you don't tell me absolutely everything you know."

"Why?"

"Because I said so!"

Emma curled her top lip and stared at the figure of her mother.

"I live with you and Daddy lives in the blue house."

"Before! Emma, think before!" Regina yelled.

"I'm only four, you know," Emma scrunched her eyebrows.

"I'm aware," Regina said, pressing on the bridge of her nose. "Emma, I need you think really hard because if you can't remember really, really bad things are going to happen."

"To me?" Emma's eye twitched, as if she was trying too hard to keep it dry.

"And Mar-me and your dad."

"Why did you get me ice cream if we weren't friends?" Emma asked all of a sudden. She was staring at her intently, genuinely waiting for an answer. Regina was taken aback and didn't know how to answer, before she even remembered that Emma was looking at what she thought was her mom.

"How did you know it was still me?"

"Mommy doesn't say because I said so. She likes when I axe questions."

Regina sat back and put her hands in her lap, briefly amazed at her deductive reasoning. Emma had reminded her herself that she was only four, and it was easy to forget. If you only spoke to her, and didn't see her tiny stature, you could easily think you were talking to a six or seven year old.

* * *

Mary Margaret could feel every part of her body jittering, including her teeth.

"Can you go any faster?" She demanded.

"Not unless you want to crash before we even get a chance to get to Emma."

Mary Margaret clamped her mouth and looked at the digital clock. She suddenly felt like everything was coming to life, the little lines that made up the numbers on the clock were jumping out. There were worms slithering their way out of the vent system. She screamed, then brought her hands over her face.

"Mary Margaret? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Just keep driving!" She said, keeping her eyes closed and safely behind her hands. She moved her right hand down so she could roll down the window. As soon as it came down, she unbuckled and hurled the top half of her body over the door. Before she could think about it, she was vomiting so violently that it burned her throat. She remembered the kids in class, coming back from health class, talking about the acid that digests the food in your stomach. She thought about it traveling back up, could feel it burning. It was a lit cigarette, and her throat was the ashtray.

"What are you doing?" She demanded when she felt the car stop moving.

"You are not okay! What is happening?"

"Just drive!" Mary Margaret yelled. "She's hurting her!"

* * *

Emma didn't know where she was anymore. She remembered Regina telling her she was bringing her home from school today, then Emma being tied up in an uncomfortable chair, then Regina saying that she had no choice, and that was that.

Now she was in darkness. She squinted her eyes, then lifted her hand to rub them. A warm, sticky substance smeared on her face when she did, and she tried to focus enough to see it.

Blood.

She tried to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth. Oh no, she thought, I lost my voice again. She racked her brain for the signs her mom and dad went over with her when she was in the hospital bed. Suddenly it seemed like the most important issue, more important than being alone in the dark and the shooting pain in her stomach. She had to think of the signs. What was the sign for Mommy and Daddy? It touched her face somehow. Was it her cheek? She tried to move her fist up to cheek to see if it felt right, but it suddenly felt like every bone in her body was being snapped in half. She whimpered and closed her eyes again. She didn't know where she was, but she knew she had to leave.

She squeezed her eyes, and could feel burning behind them.

She dreamed of the moment before the car crashed. She was in the car with her Daddy, telling him about Mommy and the castle.

"_I can show you, Daddy, I can show you! I have a real picture!"_

"_Emma, that doesn't mean anything," he had told her, but she knew he was believing her._

"_It does! We lived in a castle, Daddy! Mommy had long hair, and you called her Snow and told her you loved her all the time and at night yo-"_

"_Emma, that's enough!" Her dad had yelled. Emma shrunk back and looked beyond him in the front window._

"_Daddy!" She shrieked, pointing her tiny finger to get him to turn around. But it was too late. _

_Too late. The words bounced off her in her mind like an echo in a cave._

_And then it was blackness._

* * *

David broke open the front door to the Mayor's house while Mary Margaret stood behind.

"Jesus Christ!" David said, holding his knuckles. For some reason, instead of kicking the door down, he punched a hole through it and opened it from the inside. His hand was bleeding, not slowing down no matter how much pressure he applied with his other palm.

"David!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, slipping off her lavender colored cardigan and wrapping his hand in it. "You could have handled that better."

"Yeah, right, because you're one to talk about handling things!" He yelled suddenly, pulling back. She pulled his hand towards him again and wrapped her cardigan around his fist tightly, the blood sleeping through it in red splotches.

"Do you really think this is the right time to discuss this?" She barked, looking at the open doorway.

"No, it's never the right time! Because you refused to talk to me ever since you told me about Kathryn."

"David, it wasn't like that. I was trying to give you space..."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn't _want_ space?"

"Nu-no. It didn't."

David shook his head and held his hand, moving inside the house.

"Regina!" He yelled. "Where are you?"

"Not home?" Mary Margaret suggested, looking around a corner and seeing nothing.

"Her car is here."

Mary Margaret nodded, then had to close her eyes to try and pull herself together again. The room was spinning. The floor was sinking, and her stomach was moving even faster. She held it, feeling like the vomit was coming again.

"Mary Margaret?"

"Emma is here. She's hurt."

David could have asked how or why she knew that, or how she could be sure, but he didn't. He started barging down doors and tearing apart every small space that a four year old girl could fit in.

"She's got to be somewhere," David said, as he tore a wooden shelf with glass doors away from the wall and let it shatter on the floor.

* * *

"Here," Regina said, dropping a tray down on the ground in front of Emma. "Eat."

Emma shivered and blinked her eyes. The soup looked brown and watery and she did not want it at all.

"Can I go home soon, Regina?" Emma asked timidly. She wanted more than anything to have hot chocolate with her mom and cuddles with her dad, to watch a movie with them on the couch at Mommy's house, she wanted it so bad, she could almost still feel them near.

"Oh, little one," Regina mocked regretfulness. "You're not going home for a long, long time."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to let you guys know a few things. 1) School is way busier than I expected (6 classes + the Honors program is kicking my BUTT! But the Honors English class is truly incredible, but it has SO SO and I repeat SO much writing. A human can only do so much before a head explosion) so I don't know if anyone also reads Wake Me Up, but updates are going to a lot less frequent on both stories. Personally I find it no fun because you get into a story and then a month later you forget what happened, but I don't think I could ever go THAT long. This story will probably be less affected because my ideas are still fresh and exciting so it's my favorite thing to write right now. I'll do what I can when I can, ya know!

ALSO! **REALLY IMPORTANT!** I started a new story called Best Mistake which isn't really a story. Because of my only being able to write with certain periods of free time, I decided a series of one-shot story would be perfect. It starts with a one-shot of Emma and Henry, and if you have any requests or prompts, head over to that story and leave it in a review and I will post it to that story!

Okay great. Thanks for reading again. And fangirl308- I just wanted to let you know that the fact that you start every review with "Thank you for the chapter" it makes me smile and I appreciate it so much, especially now with my schedule going crazy on me. Just wanted to let you know that you are totally and completely awesome!


	15. Chapter 15 - Mirror, Mirror

She promised herself she wouldn't cry. She would be strong. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't let her friend Regina see she was upset.

"Why can't I go home?" Emma whimpered.

"You're going to stay with me," Regina smiled. "Right here."

"I'm never going to see Mommy or Daddy?"

"They don't want to see you," Regina lied. "If they did, don't you think they'd be here by now?"

Emma bowed her head, embarrassed that she didn't already think of that. She decided to lay down, and moved her hands underneath her cheek to block the coldness from the hard floor.

She wasn't going to cry.

She was going to escape.

* * *

"She's not there!" Mary Margaret yelled as David pushed Regina's couch to the middle of the room.

"How do you know?!"

"Because we've already checked a million times and it would make _no_ sense for Emma to be behind a couch two feet away from this whole time. Regina isn't stupid."

"NONE of this makes sense, Mary Margaret! We have to check everywhere!" David felt his temper rising and only for a moment cared that he was losing his control over it.

"We have to work together, David," Mary Margaret tried to maintain a calmness in her voice. "We can fight and hate each other after, but please, until we find Emma, let's just be a team."

David looked around like he was in pain, then nodded. "There's got to be somewhere in this house we haven't looked."

"What the hell?" Regina's voice echoed behind them when she saw her destroyed house. Mary Margaret, without thinking, reached out and held on to David's arm to stop him from lunging at Regina.

"Where is she?!"

"Where is who, Mr. Nolan?"

"What do you want with our daughter?" Mary Margaret pleaded. "She's only four. She didn't hurt anyone. Whatever we did, whatever problems you have with us, leave Emma _out_ of it."

"She's already in it," Regina said coolly. "Don't worry, soon enough you'll forget she ever existed."

"Impossible!" David shouted, jumping forward again. Mary Margaret held tighter to his arm, but Regina didn't even flinch.

* * *

"Please talk to me," Belle pleaded. "It will only help."

"I don't want to burden you, Belle. You deserve better than that." Gold looked away when he said it, knowing Belle wouldn't accept that as a response.

"It's not a burden," Belle said, rubbing his arm. She lifted her hand to turn his cheek back towards her. "I love you. I want to be there for you. No matter what."

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid I made quite a big mistake."

"A mistake? Then we'll fix it," Belle said simply, happily. "Everything is fixable."

"Not everything," Gold whispered. "This one is irreversible. Unless I can find some type of... magic." He watched Belle for her reaction to the word.

Belle smiled politely. "We can find a solution that's possible. Just talk to me."

He stared at, trying to swallow every single detail he could about her and commit it to memory. He held her hands, trying to force his mind to remember every single thing he felt when he touched her.

Suddenly, as if the world was crashing down on them any moment, Gold leaned over and kissed Belle with more force than he intended. He drew back, surprised at his own strength with her when he had always made himself to be so gentle.

"I'm sorry," he said. Belle was breathing heavier when she leaned towards him. She scrunched the part of his shirt that laid above his chest and used her balled up fist of cotton to pull him back to her.

"Don't be," she whispered, kissing him again with the power that he had always tried to restrain in himself.

"Belle," he said, forcing himself to create space between them. It was perhaps the hardest thing he had to do. Any space between their bodies felt like a universe apart. "I love you so much."

As soon as he said the words, he knew. He knew that he made a sacrifice to keep Belle with him, and he was going to have to figure out a way to undo it if he wanted his son back. This was all for Baelfire, he reminded himself when Belle closed the gap between them. He felt sparks coming up from her skin.

He made a choice. And when he tried to fix it, it only backfired and gave Regina more power.

Now he had to make another choice.

He had waited four years to be with Belle again, to have almost three decades with her. Could he really give that up?

When he thought about it, how could he not?

* * *

The hardest part was passing the time when she was awake. She could sleep, and that helped. She tried to sleep as much as possible. But when she was awake, she stared at the ceilings and thought and thought and thought.

She told herself not to, but she always thought about her parents. She was glad that Regina never came down except to bring her food, because sometimes when she alone she broke her promise and cried a little bit.

She told herself there was no need to, but she couldn't help it. She never cried like this

before in her life. Before it was because she wanted something and her parents said no, or she wanted a toy at school but it wasn't her turn, or she wanted the monsters under her bed to go away. Every time she cried she wanted something, and her parents could make it better. But now she cried because of what Regina said. All she thought about was what Regina said.

If you're parents loved you, they'd be here by now.

She thought about it so much, and every time she cried like a stupid baby. If her

parents loved her, they'd find her, they would have believed her. Isn't that what the crocodile man said? She would make them remember. But she couldn't make them remember if they didn't believe her. They would believe her if they loved her.

Emma felt the tears cascading faster now, the speed of them alone was heating up her face. She was angry, so angry.

* * *

Regina sat casually at her kitchen table, watching David and Mary Margaret tear apart more of her house.

"Will you guys listen now?" She asked impatiently.

"I won't listen to anything you say!" David barked.

"We all know you want to be the noble prince that saves everyone, but saving your daughter might mean putting aside your pride for once." Regina's words caused both Mary Margaret and David to freeze in the moment and look at her, so she continued. "I'm prepared to discuss compromises."

"Compromises?" David yelled, and Mary Margaret wrenched her stomach in pain.

"David, Emma is hurting. I can feel it."

"How can you...?" Regina started.

"You don't get to ask questions," David said, stepping protectively in front of Mary Margaret while she doubled over in pain. Suddenly tears were flowing from eyes, faster and faster, and she didn't even notice until David and Regina pointed it out.

"Emma's crying," Mary Margaret said. "She's crying and she's alone and she's terrified."

David put his protective hand over her arm to comfort her, and Regina stared in disgust at the act of compassion.

"How do you know this?" Regina demanded. "It's impossible."

"I don't know!" Mary Margaret said, moving from sadness to anger. "Maybe it's mother's intuition! I just know!"

Regina bobbed her head back in surprise at the sound of Mary Margaret being angry. "No, it's not that," she said under her breath. "Somehow you're feeling what she feels." Regina calculated the possibilities in her mind, going over each one. Nothing made sense. It must have been Gold. She just couldn't figure out how.

"Regina, tell me where the hell my daughter is," Mary Margaret said, still feeling an unexpected burst of anger.

"Let's talk about it," Regina said calmly, gesturing her hands towards the empty side of the table across from her. Mary Margaret and David looked at each other, as if they were calculation the extra time they were wasting by talking to Regina. In the end, they both decided to sit.

"What?" David spit. "What kind of compromise could you possible be offering? Whatever it is, we'll do it. We just want to see Emma first. "

"I wouldn't agree so fast," Regina smirked. "When something even bigger is at risk."

"Nothing is more important than our daughter," Mary Margaret said, her tone more firm than it had ever been. David flinched for a second, feeling for a second like he knew that voice, knew that tone. He shook it off, he had more important things to worry about.

"I'm glad you think so, Ms. Blanchard," Regina smirked. "Because in return for Emma's safety, all I want is for her to leave Storybrooke."

"Deal!" David said quickly. "Bring us to her!"

"Not so fast," Regina said, turning her eye contact from Mary Margaret to look at David jumping up from the table. "There are conditions."

"Whatever they are, we'll do them."

"There is only one," Regina continued, as if David hadn't spoken. "She must go alone."

"What?"

"She is to be dropped off at the town line by herself. After that, she's on her own. If you do not comply, I will kill her," Regina bluffed. At this, David jumped on the table, and Mary Margaret thought about how it reminded her of an animal in the wild protecting their young. In a flash, Regina was on the floor, David's arm pinning her neck down.

"You'll take me to her now, you'll return her to us, you'll let us live in peace or I will kill _you."_

Regina laughed for a response.

"I wish you luck with that," she said and in a flash David was against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Let us see her," Mary Margaret said suddenly. "There has to be a way we can just see her. Then we'll tell you if we'll comply to your conditions."

Regina and David looked at Mary Margaret, and when Regina agreed, David begrudgingly got up and fell in step behind Regina. She led them to a mirror. As long as her plan worked, Mary Margaret and David would forget everything, so she wasn't concerned with the use of magic.

"What is this?"

"Just watch it," Regina said, and fog appeared in the mirror. When it cleared, there was darkness, and only if you squinted in the corner could you see the tiny figure of an almost freshly new person. Only four years behind her, she had barely even lived yet.

"Emma," Mary Margaret called, reaching her hand out to the mirror. Emma looked calculating, angry, heartbroken, betrayed. Mary Margaret fell all the emotions swell through her, and Regina watched, intrigued.

"What did you do to her?" David demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

Regina sighed. Those questions to her were like asking her name. They were boring and predictable.

"Now you've seen her. Now make your choice."

* * *

A/N:

I can only _hope_ with all my heart that my writing has spoke for itself, but just in case I want to let you guys know to expect some more twists and turns in this story. I think I've mentioned I've had the last chapter of this story written for awhile, and we still have quite a few bumps before we get there.

Thanks for reading! And for the reviews! Don't forget, if you have a one-shot prompt to head over to my story _Best Mistake. _I'll take any, but it's tending to be Charming family and Emma/Henry/Neal focused.

:)


	16. Chapter 16 - Crocodile Man

"I'm going to kill you!" David yelled, jumping towards Regina again. He was practically falling out of his skin with anger so uncontainable. Regina looked bored as he got closer and made him fall back, hitting what seemed to be nothing in the air around her. It took only minutes for him to get up again.

"David, stop!"

"You saw her!"

"This isn't going to help anything. We need to keep our minds clear for Emma."

"Keep our minds clear? We need to stop her before she _kills_ Emma!"

"David, we don't have any options," Mary Margaret felt her head spinning and started to fall. David reached out to hold her up. "Ma-ake make the room stop," Mary Margaret said dizzily.

"The room isn't doing anything," David said, holding Mary Margaret. "Are you okay?"

"We have to do whatever Regina says. Anything to get her out of there, David. We have to get her out of there..."

"Okay... okay," David looked at Mary Margaret, who was now clutching her head with her full body weight in David's arms. He looked at Regina and nodded.

"Very well," she said smiling. She flicked her hand to make a door appear on the wall they were facing, and when she opened it, a dark staircase came into view.

"What the hell?" David asked, but got Mary Margaret on her feet, keeping one arm around her for support.

* * *

Gold kissed the side of Belle's head and felt his own tears fall.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met," Gold whispered to his sleeping partner. "You have always deserved better, and it seems that no matter hard I try, I'm just not capable of giving it to you. I am so sorry my beautiful Belle. I am so sorry that I couldn't be better for you."

He kissed her again, holding his lips on the skin of her temple for a long time. He knew what would happen when he did what he did, he knew the fate he was sealing for Belle. He wondered if he would ever be able to breathe again, because right now, he was sure he wouldn't.

He felt his heart clench, then made himself think of Bae. All of it would be worth it for Baelfire. They would reunite, and he would have a chance to explain himself to his only son. He may not receive forgiveness, and he didn't expect it. He didn't deserve forgiveness. But Baelfire still deserved an explanation. And for that, Rumple would sacrifice everything.

Belle stirred in their bed and squinted her eyes, smiling for a moment when she saw Gold in front of her.

"Where are you going?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm so sorry, love." Rumple turned around and left before Belle could ask what he meant. It wasn't fair, it was infuriating. His beautiful, innocent, good-natured Belle, to be murdered at the hands of Regina. He knew the fate that Belle would be succombed to at Regina's hands when he did what needed to do.

He wrapped Baelfire's scarf around his neck, breathing in the scent that was long gone, but he could still remember. It was like only yesterday he was living in the mud house with his son.

But it wasn't yesterday.

But he'll be getting pretty close to that.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" David demanded, still holding Mary Margaret up as they followed Regina down the dark stairs.

"Leading you to your daughter? I was under the impression it was what you wanted."

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"It's for reasons you're much too... empty to understand," Regina said, choosing her words carefully. Empty seemed like a good fit.

"Emma didn't hurt you," Mary Margaret reminded her.

"Not yet," Regina muffled under her breath. "I'm not going to sit around and wait until she does."

"Why would she hurt you?! Emma wouldn't hurt anyone!" Mary Margaret defended.

Regina decided to stop wasting her breath trying to explain and rolled her eyes instead. "Let's go," she instructed. "Through that door."

David and Mary Margaret looked at each other, then moved towards the door. It was much too dark to recognize if it was the scene they saw in the mirror, but they both knew they had no other option but to trust Regina right now.

"We have to kill her," David whispered.

"What!?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" David asked, and was met with silence. "You weren't really considering leaving Emma _alone_ on the side of the road, were you? She's _Emma. _Little Emma, that believes the world is good and her parents are in love."

"Of course not, David! But killing is... extreme, isn't it? There must be a way to lock her up or something."

"Yes, with all the extra time we have before she'll make us bring her there."

"I was just saying."

"Will both of you two shut up and go get the little brat?" Regina called. Both stopped to scowl at the nickname for their daughter, but continued walking out of fear. When the heavy arched wooden door opened, they found the same sight from the mirror, only darker.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret called, opening her arms. Emma just stared. "Emma, baby, it's me. Mommy."

"And Daddy," David added. "We came to get you, Princess."

At the pet name, Emma looked slightly more convinced. "It's really you?" She said in a voice so soft it was almost unhearable.

"It's really us, Princess," David confirmed. The assurance caused Emma to sprint up and run to her parents. She fell into her mom's open arms, feeling relief, and warmth, and softness and familiarity.

"Mommy," she said, pressing her head to the cotton of Mary Margaret's shirt. When she finally released Mary Margaret from the hug, she looked at both of her parents in awe.

"You came for me," Emma smiled. "Regina said you wouldn't, but she lied. I knew you would come for me! Like the time I got stuck in the closet in the castle and I was crying and thinking I was stuck in the dark forever, but you came for me, you came for me just like you did here! You guys said, 'Emma, you scared us half to deaf!' and I promised to never do it again, but I didn't! Regina took me this time, I didn't go by myself! I'm sorry for doing it again! Please take me home, I wanna go home!" Emma said so fast she was panting for air by the time she finished. Both of her parents were looking at her with teary eyes, like the times they pulled her out of the river when she fell in. I'm sorry, I'm sorry Mommy and Daddy, she had said. But they had told her they were happy tears, that they were so glad she was okay.

"It's okay, baby," Mary Margaret said, pulling her in again. "You're okay. You didn't do anything wrong, do you hear me? Nothing."

"And no matter what happens," David added. "We will always love you. More than anything in the entire world. You are everything to both of us."

"You're scaring me Daddy," Emma said, her voice breaking. "I wanna go home."

Mary Margaret and David looked at each other, and Mary Margaret nodded.

"At the line," Mary Margaret said. "Let her think we're going. We'll run into the woods, when she chases after us, we'll hit her with a rock. Anything we can find."

David nodded in acceptance. Both of them had never been more willing to do anything it took to keep Emma safe.

They walked back out of the hallway they came from, Emma in David's arms, and met Regina. Both looked nervous, though David seemed to be pulling off the poker face slightly better.

"Ready?" Regina asked. David clung tighter to Emma, and as if she could read the situation, buried her head into his shoulder.

"I assume you'll be accompanying us?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Obviously she's not big on showing family respect," David muttered.

"Of course," Regina smiled. "Shall we?"

Mary Margaret rubbed Emma's back, a quick source of strength, a reminder of the fact that what was about to happen was worth it.

They followed Regina to her car, sitting in the back, Emma squeezed in the middle, while Regina drove. The whole ride Mary Margaret's heart was hammering, and she could start to feel sweat trickling down her forehead by the time they were approaching the town line. She looked at David for reassurance, who provided it with a nod. Their plan was impulsive and poorly-laid out at best. She supposed nothing this important in life ever allowed the time for meticulous planning, though.

The beeping of the horn and the sharp jerk of the car caused Mary Margaret and David both to reach a hand out in front of Emma.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked all of a sudden for the first time when the car slammed to a stop. She must have assumed we were going straight home, Mary Margaret thought with a twinge of guilt.

David and Mary Margaret looked out of the car when the driver's side door slammed shut and Regina got out. Standing in front of the town line was none other than Mr. Gold, with nothing but misplaced scarf for the weather and... was that a dagger in his hand? Mary Margaret's eyes widened at the immediate danger.

"David, this is our chance. We have to go now!"

Mary Margaret stumbled with Emma's seatbelt while David opened the door as quietly as he could and slid out.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked again, getting ushered and pushed by both of her parents.

David opened his mouth to say home, but never got the chance.

"You're not going anywhere, dearie," said a voice out of nowhere. Emma looked up in front of her, face-to-face with the crocodile man.


	17. Chapter 17 - A Real Date

_**Present day**_

"Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret asked, more surprised than anything. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Yeah, _Gold," _Regina said from behind them. At the sound of her voice, Mary Margaret and David both instinctively moved in front of Emma to protect her. "Relax. I'm not going to do anything," Regina said, annoyed. Mary Margaret and David both looked questioningly at her.

"She's right," Gold corroborated. "She's not going to hurt her."

"Then what are either of you doing?" David demanded. "Come on, Mary Margaret. We need to take Emma home."

"It's the crocodile man," Emma said slowly. "The crocodile man. He came to visit me."

"What? When did you go see Emma?" David whipped his head to face Mr. Gold.

"It was a long, long time ago," Gold smirked.

"In the castle," Emma explained to her parents. "He told me that I was going to make you guys love each other again!"

Both of her parents looked at each other in understanding. Both of them looked heartbroken and angry.

"It was you!" Mary Margaret said, her ah-ha moment. "You're the one who put those ideas in Emma's head?"

"No, Mommy! You guys were together! In the castle! That's where I got the necklace!"

"From the... castle?"

"No, Mommy," Emma said, getting irritated. "From him!" Emma pointed her finger towards Mr. Gold. "He gave it to me and said to never take it off ever."

"I'm glad to see you have all your memories back in full force, Little Emma," Gold grinned. "At least I know the necklace works."

"You're crazy," David growled. "And you are putting crazy ideas into my impressionable daughter's head. We're leaving, _with _Emma. If either of you try to stop us, I won't stop until both of you are dead." At that, David picked Emma up and Mary Margaret slowly followed him, walking towards the street.

"What the hell?" Regina asked. "You completely ruined my plan. You ruined everything!"

"I didn't do anything but show up," Gold answered.

"I was going to have them leave Emma at the town line. She was going to be fine. The curse was going to be fine!" Regina yelled, then took a minute to think about what had happened. The realization was visible when it washed over her. "You want the curse to break. You want Emma here with her parents."

"Well," Gold replied. "We all know I only do what's in my best interest."

* * *

"Emma, we need to talk," Mary Margaret said softly at the side of Emma's bed.

"I'm tired, Mommy," Emma yawned, turning over and curling her blankets into her shoulder.

"I know, sweetie, but this is important. It's about what happened today. You're going to stay home from school for a few days with me. And Daddy's going to stay with us for a little while."

At this, Emma turned around, interested. Her eyes lit up with childlike hope. "You mean, live with us?"

"That's what need to talk about it. He's staying here for _you_, Emma. Only for you. It has nothing to do with him and I. Mr. Gold is a very sick man, and whatever he said to you, he shouldn't have. I don't know when he even had the opportunity."

Emma yawned again, truly tired this time. She would convince her tomorrow. "Okay. Goodnight Mumma."

Mary Margaret smiled and kissed her forehead after her Emma's eyes drifted shut. She flicked the lights off on her way out.

"Is she asleep?" David asked, waiting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah. Thanks for staying."

"Thanks for letting me stay, Mary Margaret. I know we haven't been on the best terms, but being away from Emma right now... I just can't imagine it."

"I understand," Mary Margaret said truthfully, putting her hand over David's. "I don't blame you."

"I'm sorry," David said, staring at her hand over his. "I'm sorry for this whole mess. I was wasting time being angry with you when we have Emma to worry about. We almost lost her."

"Don't apologize. You had and have every right to be angry. I messed up. And I don't know how to ever express how truly sorry I feel for what I did. I was selfish and wasn't thinking and I am ashamed. But you should know, I'll live with it every day of my life."

David finally looked up to look at her eyes. "I realized something when it happened."

"You realized something?" Mary Margaret asked, not sure why her heart was beating faster. _I realized you're a terrible person. I realized that you're an unfit mother, and now I'm going to court for full custody of Emma. I realized that I can't even look at you without wanting to throw up. _She prepared herself for the worst, not allowing her to think of anything else. She was already thinking of her defense, how she would convince a judge that she was still the best person to care for her daughter.

"I know Emma got these stories out of nowhere, and I don't want to make it worse for her or more confusing," David started, and Mary Margaret was sure that if her heart did not _calm down_ she was going to drop of a heart attack. "There's just something about you. I know I probably sound completely insane, but I- I want to be with you, Mary Margaret."

It felt like someone just reached into her chest and squeezed her heart so tight it cut off her air supply.

"David..."

"I know. I understand that this is coming out nowhere, especially on a night like this."

"It's just... I don't want to rush into things," Mary Margaret said, standing up. David joined her, following her to the island. "I don't want to get Emma's hopes up for nothing. It was a crazy emotional roller coaster of a night. I don't want this confession to just come from the height of all of our emotions. If it's real... that's, I mean, that's different. But for now..."

"I understand," David said, and he was standing so close to her he could feel his breath coming out when he talked. She tried to pretend she didn't notice, clutching the island counter behind her. She watched his mouth when he spoke, in slow-motion, as if he was asking her to explore it. Before she could talk herself out of it, she draped her arm around his neck, meeting his lips with hers. She could feel him reciprocate, the heat and weight of his body slightly pressed on hers. She brought her other hand to meet the one around his neck, trailing her fingers up to bottom of his hair. She could feel the pressure as she fell back on the island, her legs still standing, but her back straight across the countertop.

"We should stop," Mary Margaret suggested when David pulled back to take his shirt off.

"Do you want to?" He asked seriously. She thought about it, then bit her lip and shook her head.

"No," she said, tearing her shirt off above her head. David smiled, and as if he couldn't wait another second, kissed her again, letting the heat of her skin match the electricity in his.

* * *

Mary Margaret sipped coffee slowly while she sat in the barstool facing the island. She stared at the counter, though now disinfected, and thought about what happened merely hours before. Over and over again. She smiled, then caught herself and forced a straight line across her face.

"Hey," David said, walking in with bedhead, plain t-shirt and pajama pants. Mary Margaret bit her lip at the sight of him.

"Hi. How did you sleep?"

"Good. Uh, I was exhausted," he smirked.

"Daddy!" Emma called, before even looking up from the tv. She was staring intently at the movie Mary Margaret had put in for her.

"Hey Princess," David said, opening his arms. Emma decided it was worth missing some of her movie, and got up and ran to give David a hug.

"I'm not going to school," Emma said. "Even though it's not a home day."

"So I heard," David said, raising his eyebrows. "Are you excited?"

Emma shrugged. "Mommy says I still have to do homework. She's gonna be my teacher now."

"That sounds fun."

Emma shrugged again. "You're gonna live with us now forever and ever?"

David looked sideways at Mary Margaret. "I don't really know about that. But definitely for a little bit. Until everything goes back to normal. Okay, bud?"

"Okay, Daddy," Emma agreed.

_**Six Years Later**_

"We can't keep doing this," Mary Margaret breathed, David's tongue traveling up her stomach and towards her chest. At the same time as the moan escaping her lips, her arm flew up, hitting a bucket off the shelf and hitting her head on it's way down. David sat up, both of them feeling a little put out.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"This," Mary Margaret answered. "Sneaking around in supply closets." Mary Margaret pulled her shirt over her head and sat up. "It's been six years, David. Maybe it's time for a... real relationship."

"A real relationship?"

"You know, more than this. Emma's ten now. She's back in real school. I think she can handle the concept of us going out once, whether it works out or not."

"Mary Margaret Blanchard... are you asking me out on a date?"

Her cheeks got rosy, but she smiled. "Yes, David Nolan, I am. A real date."

* * *

Emma's greatest freedom was walking from the bustop back to her house. On Tuesday's and Thursday's her dad picked her up, but on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday she got to take the bus and walk back to her mom's house. It probably would have been easier for her mom to just bring her home, since she was in her class, but she had begged and pleaded. Since she was the third to last bus stop, her mom was always already home by the time she got there.

She didn't know why she liked her walks so much, but she thought maybe because they were peaceful. Her whole life her parents have watched her like a hawk. She remembered vaguely something happening when she was little with the Mayor, she remembered being in a dark room and then in the woods and her parents saving her, but it all felt like taboo. Her parents never talked about it, and she didn't ask.

"Hey, Little Emma," Mr. Gold said when Emma walked straight into him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gold! I wasn't looking."

"It's okay," he laughed. "I'm actually glad I ran into you. Or you into me, rather."

Emma swallowed and nodded, looking up at him. She was slightly afraid of him, although a part of her knew she shouldn't be. For some reason she felt so strongly that Mr. Gold was like her protector of sorts. She knew he wouldn't harm her.

"I have a present for you," he said, walking towards the door of his shop. "It's inside."

Despite her warnings not to follow strangers, she followed Gold into his shop. It was a shop, I mean, it was daylight and she felt pretty safe about it. Gold walked around to the back of his corner and pulled something out from the bottom shelf.

"Hi Belle!" Emma said cheerily to the woman who Gold was now next to.

"Hi Emma. How are you?"

"Good," Emma replied shyly. She loved Belle, who was always so nice to her. Maybe that's why she wasn't afraid of Mr. Gold. She was sure if he was bad, Belle wouldn't be married to him.

"Here it is," Gold said, pulling out a large book.

"That's for me?" Emma asked, incredulous.

"It is. I found it while cleaning the shop and I thought you might be able to enjoy it."

"Wow, thanks, Mr. Gold," Emma said, reaching out to pick up the book. It said _Once Upon A Time _across the front.

"Not so fast," Gold said, swabbing her hand down. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"What you told me?" Emma asked.

"Do you remember where you used to live?" Gold rephrased.

"I've lived here my entire life," Emma answered. "I mean...," she said slowly, unsure if she should admit what she was about to say. "I used to have this crazy imagination about living in a castle and stuff. My mom and dad tell me about it all the time."

"Okay," Gold smiled. "Good. Here you go," he said, lifting his hand off the book. Emma tried again to take it, waiting for Gold to slap her away, but he let her lift it off the counter and hold it in her arms.

"Thanks again, Mr. Gold," Emma said, turning out of the shop and waving. "I should get home to my mom now. Bye Belle!"


	18. Chapter 18 - Princess Stories

Emma opened the door and peaked her head in before walking into the apartment. She saw both of her parents sitting at the island in the kitchen.

"Daddy?" Emma asked, walking into the apartment and closing the door behind her. She was still holding tight to the brown book from Mr. Gold.

"Hi Emma," David answered. "Whatcha got there?"

"It was a present. From Mr. Gold. I ran into him on my way home," Emma explained, running to show her parents the cover of the book.

"That was... nice of him," Mary Margaret said warily. Emma didn't seem to notice her tone.

"Uh-huh. How come you're over, Daddy?"

"Well, Emma, your mother and I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I have homework," Emma said, disinterested.

"You'll have plenty of time for all your homework needs, Princess. This is important."

"Is it about you two dating?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret swiveled her head at Emma, then to see David's reaction. He seemed to be at about as much at a loss as she was.

"Emma, where did that come from?"

"Um... how obvious it is? You guys have loved each other my whole life. Honestly, I can't believe it took this long."

"Your father and I... are... trying it." Mary Margaret chose her words like the wrong ones would start a fire. "It doesn't mean anything yet, and it most definitely does not mean we have loved each other for your entire life."

"But you have."

"Why don't you go do your homework?" David suggested. Emma shrugged and picked up her new book from the counter where she put it for her parents could see. She made her way to her bedroom, trying to hide the smile creeping on her face.

"Well that was easier than expected," Mary Margaret smiled coyly, following David's eyes to her bedroom. "No! Not now. Emma is in the other room."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," David joked. "I was just going to get a glass of water."

* * *

Emma sat on her bed and stuffed her homework folder back into her backpack. She had finished her assignment for homework eagerly, so she could divulge into her new mysterious book. Maybe she put in half the effort she should have, but it was okay, she was _prioritizing._ Plus, her mom was her teacher, and so she would be okay.

She let her eyes gleam over the cover and opened it slowly, as if the book was full of secrets that would fall out if she opened it too fast. She didn't know why she felt like this book had all the answers she had been searching for, but she did. She knew things were different in this town, she didn't know how, but she knew Mr. Gold did. Maybe this was how he was going to tell her. She skipped to the first story, absorbing every word. Something felt eerily familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. It just felt like she... _knew_ the characters. She was reading about Jiminy Cricket. It was tiny, a small feeling in the back of her head, and she tried to shake it off when she got to the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The more she read, though, the more it felt like she knew them. The drawings were blurry and rough around the edges, hard to distinguish, but she swore she saw a similarity. When she got to Snow White's story, her breath caught. Rumplestiltskin looked like Mr. Gold, an unmistakable comparison. They both had the same smirk, Rumplestiltskin even called people dearie in the book. These were merely the supporting factors, though. Emma read the talk of the curse, the prison of time, and Snow White's baby, her eyes glued to the pages. Snow White's baby was Emma! Emma! The last page of the book was Snow White and Prince Charming holding the baby in _her_ baby blanket.

The castle... her dad calling her mom Snow... her parents being in love. It felt like a list going off in her brain where she mentally checked off each one. She quickly flipped the pages back, searching for the Evil Queen's picture. She couldn't make out her face, but the story was clear. Her name was Regina.

Regina, as in Madam Mayor, the one that she couldn't remember why, but she remembered she was afraid of.

If Emma was right, that meant... _she was right._ Something _was_ off about the town. She wasn't crazy, it really was still Cassidy and Megan and Julie from preschool, still in preschool. No one else was aging. But she was? Somehow she was aging. She flipped the pages back to the end of the story, where Rumpelstiltskin told Snow White and Prince Charming about the Savior. A life of hardship? Emma questioned. I mean, her parents could be annoying occasionally, but she wouldn't exactly consider it a life of hardship. The next picture was her parents staring at a puff of smoke and crying. Her mom said we can't send her through. Send me through where?

She wanted more than anything to run out of her room, to go ask her parents, to demand answers. But were they even her parents? She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling dizzy. Which one were her real parents? Snow White and Prince Charming or Mary Margaret and David? The only thing that the parents she knew had in common with the people in this book were their faces. But she _loved_ her parents now. She didn't want different parents. Feeling overwhelmed, she closed the book and lowered it under her bed. She put her head on her pillow, closing her eyes, thinking about what it all meant.

* * *

The next day, Mary Margaret played with her hair in front of the bathroom open, the door open, and Emma watched from the doorway.

"You don't have to try so hard, Mom. Daddy already loves you."

"Emma," Mary Margaret warned, her tone low.

"Okay, sorry. I was just saying," Emma said, putting her hands up and smiling. She tilted her head and watched her mom put on lipstick. "When can I start wearing makeup?"

"Hm," Mary replied, turning to look at Emma. Her blonde hair wisped baby hairs around the edges of her face, her face which was still so fresh and innocent. "How about in about... never years?"

"Good one."

"I thought so," Mary Margaret smiled and pulled Emma's head towards her so she could kiss her forehead.

"Gross! You got lipstick on me!" Emma wiped off the residue, peeking in the mirror Mary Margaret was using to get ready. As Emma cleared her forehead with her entire palm, the bell of the door rang, making Emma and Mary Margaret to smirk at each other knowingly. "I'll get it," Emma offered, running towards the door before her mom could dispute it. When she opened it, her dad stood in a tux, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Daddy!" Emma hugged, smelling the flowers that she was eye-level with. "These are for Mommy?"

"Not just her," David clarified, rotating them so Emma could see the tag. Next to where it said To:, David wrote _Mary Margaret and the incredible princess we created together._ Emma felt a flash when she heard the word princess, thinking of the book she had read last night.

"Daddy?" Emma said suddenly, staring up at him. "Why do you call me princess?"

"What do you mean, Em? I always have called you that."

"I know, but _why?_ I mean, where did it come from?"

"I don't know. It just sort of happened after you were born. You were always just my princess."

Emma nodded, unsatisfied with the answer, but not ready to push it further. She moved out of the way to let him in and closed the door behind him, but was stopped before it latched into place.

"Hey. Closing the door on me?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"Sorry Ruby," Emma blushed. "I didn't see you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Thanks for coming, Ruby," Mary Margaret said, coming out of the bathroom and slipping on her shoes in the kitchen. "Ready?" She smiled, looking at David. In response, David held out his arm, and Mary Margaret took it.

"Have fun!" Emma called as they walked through the door.

"You look quite beautiful tonight," David mumbled to Mary Margaret, quietly enough so she would be the only to hear.

Emma watched them go and smiled. She _loved _her parents. She didn't want different ones.

"So what do you wanna do tonight?" Ruby asked, already eating cookies out of the package from their cabinet.

"I'm kinda tired," Emma shrugged. "I think I'm going to lay down."

Ruby gave her a weird look, but shrugged and took the package of cookies to their couch. Emma watched her sit down and put her feet up before going back to her room. She emptied her backpack on her bed and tucked her stuffed animals under her covers before placing her new fairy tale book in her bag.

She looked out the window, judging the climb down. It would be hard, but she could do it.

She was going to get answers from the only people who could give it to her.

* * *

**Note:** Hey guys! So.. this chapter is sort of important for Emma. I've been thinking about it for awhile, what it would be like for ten year old Emma to figure it out herself with the book and I figured she would figure it out even faster than Henry because she actually had the proof in front of her (herself in the book and her blanket) but she loves her cursed parents, which creates some problems. I mean... I personally can't imagine being put in that scenario when I was ten.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a little explanation behind this chapter. Hope you enjoy and as always thank you so much to everyone who leaves a review. I can't even explain how happy it makes me :)


	19. Chapter 19 - Bittersweet

Emma stepped on the crunchy leaves floating around on the ground. The air was just starting to have a strong chill, a reminder that summer really was over. She was freezing, and it crossed her mind that if her mom knew what was she was doing, she would have told Emma to bring a jacket. She probably wouldn't have listened anyway, so she didn't dwell on it.

She started preparing in her mind what she wanted to say, having fake conversations with herself to try and figure out how it might go. She had two people to see, two people who could answer her questions, and the first person she was going to was the one who gave her the book in the first place.

She walked down the sidewalk, peering into the windows of all the shops. In Granny's diner she recognized Dr. Hopper and Marco chatting and Leroy and all his other friends that she always forgot the names of. Granny seemed frantic, and Emma realized it was because Ruby was sitting on her couch eating her cookies right now instead of working. Emma felt guilty, realizing Ruby didn't really need to be there. She shrugged and kept going, she didn't feel that bad. She had important things to get to the bottom of.

She stopped in front of the window to the fancy restaurant though. She was a great reader, but she could never read the name of this restaurant. It had weird marks on the letters and none of them made sense when they were put next to each other. Her mom said it was in _French._ It was the fanciest restaurant in town, and Emma stuck her face on the glass to look inside. It was a small enough resturaunt, and she found what she was looking for within seconds. Her mom was facing her, and the back of her dad's head was facing her. She smiled when she saw their hands on the table. They were holding each other's hand next to the basket of bread. Her mom was laughing, and Emma could almost picture the cheeky grin on her dad's face that came after one of his lame jokes. Emma was mesmerized. She had never seen both of them seeming so _full. _She tried to keep walking, to move along, but she was frozen in place. She watched them for a few minutes, then ducked down and tore herself away when she saw her mom stand up. If she stayed any longer, she would get caught. And she couldn't get caught.

* * *

"It's nice to see you all dressed up," David complimented as he pulled out the seat for her. Mary Margaret smiled and did a slight curtsy sitting down. "Or dressed at all, for that matter."

"You're bad!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, giving him a slight swab on the arm. But neither of them could hide how delighted they were in each other's company.

"You're right. It's not about that tonight. Tonight is all about talking. Getting to know

one another."

"Although I'm not sure there's much to learn. Considering we've been in each other's life for over a decade."

"You know, speaking of a decade. Do you remember how we met? For some reason, I always feel like my memory is blacked out before Emma was born."

"Of course, wasn't it... it was... gosh, how _did_ we meet?"

"You don't remember either?"

Mary Margaret took a deep breath, feeling her teeth with her tongue as she thought about how to word what she wanted to say. She had to figure out how to say it exactly right. "There's this picture. Of Emma, you, and myself. She says it was from before, she'd had it since she was, god, she must have been three or four. I know it sounds crazy but-"

"Mary Margaret."

"I know. I know we agreed not to talk about Emma tonight. But you asked about how we met-"

"Right. _Before_ Emma. We already know we have her in common. Tonight is about finding out what else we have."

Mary Margaret smiled, defeated. She had let the picture fall to the back of her mind for years now, going on like everything was normal. And it was normal, Emma was normal, there was no reason to cause a stir now.

"Fine," Mary Margaret put her hand on the table, and David took it gently.

"Let's talk about you. When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?"

"I-I'm not sure. I just always have been for as long as I can remember," Mary Margaret answered, peering over David's shoulder. "David, don't make it obvious, but I think we have an audience."

"An audience?" David asked, slightly turning his head.

"Don't!" Mary Margaret warned quickly. "Emma is outside the restaurant watching us. If she knows she's spotted, she'll run."

"Emma? Outside the restaurant? Right now?"

"Yes!" Mary Margaret hissed. "_Don't_ look. We have to be discrete."

"How do you know it's Emma?"

"I saw the top of a blonde head."

"And you know that's Emma because...?"

Mary Margaret looked at David, and they both knew. "Because it's Emma."

"We should probably go get her."

"I'll pretend to go to the bathroom," Mary Margaret suggested. "Count to 100 then go out the front."

David nodded, but still, neither of them could keep themselves from smiling.

* * *

Emma hurried her footsteps as she walked passed the rest of the shops. She didn't stop and linger again until she stood in front of the Pawn Shop. For some reason, she felt like she should knock, so she tattered on the door before opening it timidly.

"Mr. Gold?"

"Little Emma?" Gold said, feigning surprise. "Where are your parents? It's a bit late to be out on your own, is it not?"

"I came by myself. It's about the book."

"What book?"

"The one you gave me!" Emma said, trying to hide her frustration. "It's real, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate. I don't know what you mean."

Emma gritted her teeth. "The stories in the book, they're real. They're the people in this town, aren't they? The mayor put the curse on the town, that's why none of them are aging! Except me, but I don't know why. Except for maybe because I'm the Savior I somehow am exempt from the curse? But it doesn't say that in the book. I want answers and I want you to give them to me!"

"You're a smart girl," Gold said grimly. "You make things very easy for me."

"What does that even mean?" Emma asked, feeling a wave of fear wash over her. "You're the crocodile man. You gave me the necklace," Emma said slowly. "That's the reason I'm aging, isn't it? Even when nobody else is. I'm _really_ the one who's supposed to bring back the happy endings?"

"Little Emma, you're getting ahead of yourself. You're merely a child."

"Tell me how to _break it!"_

"That I cannot do. It needs to come from inside yourself."

"Inside myself? That's a bunch of crap!" Emma, beside herself in frustration, ran out of the Pawn Shop. _Inside myself. If I want to break the curse, it's inside myself. Do I want to break the curse? _She hated herself for thinking it. She had to break it. Her parents would want her to.

But her parents didn't know. And if she never broke the curse, they would never know. She could keep her life the way it was. But then nobody would age. Except her. But maybe she could grow up to be an adult like her parents and then take her necklace off and they could all live together and even be friends. It seemed like a perfect solution. But it was deceiving, it felt wrong still, like that wasn't the right thing to do. That's why she was still running, running so fast her nose was dripping from the coldness. She sniffed it up, then gave in and pulled her sleeve to her face to wipe it away. She wished she was with her mom, her mom who would have told her to bring a sweater, then brought one for her when Emma refused. Emma felt heavy, like she was holding too much information inside.

"Where are you headed, Emma?"

The voice stopped Emma in her tracks, almost making her skid on the dirt. Where was she? Looking around for the first time, she realized she had run straight into the woods.

Emma whipped her head around guiltily.

"Mom? Dad? Mr. Gold?"

* * *

Mary Margaret met David in the front of the restaurant, after looking behind herself and watching him pull something out of his wallet and leaving it on the table, despite the fact they had only ordered water yet.

"Where is she?" Mary Margaret asked, standing next to David, where Emma had been previously.

"I don't know. She was gone when I got out here."

"Do you think she went home?"

"It's Emma."

"I'll call Ruby just to make sure," Mary Margaret said, pulling out her phone. Just as Mary Margaret was about to hang up, Ruby answered breathlessly.

"Hello?"

"Ruby? How's Emma?"

"Oh, she's sleeping. Went to bed a long time ago."

"Can you check her room for me?"

"Uhh, sure, okay. Yeah, she's sleeping."

"Pull the covers down for me."

"Oh, shit."

"She didn't come home, right?"

"Uh, no. I have no idea how she got out... I've been in front of the door the whole time."

"Alright. Thanks, Ruby. We're going to find her."

"I'm so sorry."

Mary Margaret hung up, figuring she would talk to Ruby later about it, after she already had Emma back.

"Not home?"

"She could be anywhere," Mary Margaret, slightly letting the panic overcome her. "She could have gone anywhere. How are we going to find her? What if Regina is trying to hurt her again? David, you were supposed to corner her so she _couldn't_ escape."

"Don't blame me now! You're the one who asked Ruby to babysit."

"Are you _kidding_ me? I only asked Ruby to babysit because you would have never taken care of that stuff as her _father."_

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"It means you pawn all the hard stuff on me while you always get to be the good guy! You never take responsibility for the hard part of being a parent!"

"Because you never let me have any responsibility! You always have to be in control, you have to know everything Emma does all the time!"

"Because I _love _her," Mary Margaret defended angrily, then looked down. "We're wasting time fighting. We have to find her, wherever she is."

David sighed. "I might know who to start with."

* * *

"Emma, we have to go home," her mom said calmly. Emma looked at her, studied her. She was talking to Emma like she was a patient in a mental hospital.

"Mom, you don't understand! You don't understand what's going on!" She looked around at her parents and Gold, her eyes fixated on him. He was standing slightly behind her parents, who were standing a good arms length apart, and Emma could tell right away they were unhappy with each other. They were staged like an intervention. She didn't know how Gold knew where she was, but she knew he led them to her.

"Emma, listen to your parents. You must listen to them."

"I have to break the curse! My parents are supposed to love each other!"

"Emma, please," Mary Margaret begged. "This isn't a fairy tale. This is real life."

"Emma, listen. Go to them," Gold advised. Emma stared at him, watched his hands, which she realized suddenly were hidden from view. She felt a shiver run through her entire body, from her hair to her toes.

"You're going to break the curse," Emma said flatly, staring directly into Gold's eyes. "By killing me."

"Emma!" Her mom yelled. "Lets _go."_

"I'm not going anywhere. Not alive." Emma stared into Gold's eyes, waiting for some type of response, but his face was blank.

"Stop it, Emma!" Her dad ordered. "We're going home _now_ and you can think about running off at night next time you want to watch t.v., or for that matter, do anything besides homework."

Emma didn't acknowledge the threat, it was unimportant, but Mary Margaret looked at him. He had finally been the bad guy. Even though it wasn't registering with Emma yet, she was impressed. She only had time to think about it for a moment though, because within seconds she was tied up with the reigns of a tree.

"Mom!" Emma screeched, running towards the tree.

"Regina," Gold didn't even need to turn around to know.

"What? Nobody invited me to the party."

"What is going on?" David demanded. "Why is Mary Margaret tied to a tree... by a tree? What is going on? We just came to bring our daughter home. _What is going on?_"

"Magic," Gold whispered, looking at Regina. "How?"

"I've saved enough for a special occasion," Regina smirked. Emma stared at her in wonder. She had never been more sure of the curse as she was being face to face with the Evil Queen.

"Get her _DOWN!" _Emma ordered fiercely, stomping her foot. In response, Regina tightened the reigns.

"A tantrum?" Regina laughed maliciously. "You are more like your mother than even she knows."

Emma curled her lip in anger and tried to pull off the pieces of tree holding her mom. It was hopeless, and the more she pulled, the tighter she made it. Emma, despite her efforts not to give anything away, felt tears trickling down her face every time her mom gasped for air.

"Go home with Daddy," Mary Margaret instructed through wispy breaths. "You must listen to me. Go home with Daddy, I'll be home soon."

"No!"

"Loyal, exactly what I was hoping for," Regina smiled. "I can let go of her right now if you want. All you have to do is agree to one favor I ask of you."

"Anything!" Emma said desperately, letting the tears fall freely. "Please!"

"Emma, no. She's dangerous. I don't know how, but I'm already calling the Sheriff. He's going to make sure nothing happens to your mother."

"Daddy, don't you understand?! Regina has MAGIC! From the curse! The Sheriff can't help us here!" Emma turned to face Regina. "Let my mom go. I'll do anything," she pleaded.

"Fair enough," Regina reasoned. "All I want is you to take a bite of this apple."

Emma took the apple out of Regina's hand, then stared at her. "This is going to kill me?"

"No, my darling, nothing like that. It will only put you to sleep."

"Let her go first," Emma said blankly.

"You don't trust me?"

Emma shook her head.

"That's wise, little brat," Regina smiled. "Fine. I'll release her. But if you try anything funny, I'll snap her neck and kill her before you can even blink. Do you understand that?"

Emma nodded.

"Emma, don't," Gold warned. "If you take a bite of that apple, you'll fall asleep and never wake up. The curse will never be broken."

"She's going to kill my mom," Emma said desperately.

"You're more important. You're the one who can save everyone. You're the one who can break the curse."

Emma shook her head, and through the tears could see her mom falling to the ground, free of the tree. Then she closed her eyes, and she bit down into the apple.


	20. Chapter 20 - The Only Choice

**Author's Note:** Hi guys! So, I don't know if you guys were expecting this, but this is the final chapter of Ready, Set, Don't Go. It was sort of a mini-story (though it ended up being the length of a full length novel, so, I guess a full story) inspired by comments I had seen saying Snow was a horrible mother for putting Emma through the wardrobe, and you'll see why when you get to the end!

Thanks everyone so much for reading! Let me know what you think, I really am curious to the reactions because I've had this ending planned for so long. Who knows? Maybe I'll do a part two if I get enough inspiration. Definitely not out of the question. I have a few ideas swirling around.

* * *

"Emma!" Mary Margaret and David screamed in unison.

"What did you do?" David demanded. He was behind Emma before she could even fall, holding her up. Mary Margaret towered over her, tears spilling off her cheeks.

"Got rid of my problem," Regina smirked. "With the last bit of magic I had."

"Magic?! Well, _UN_rid your problem. Bring Emma back!"

"Baby," Mary Margaret said gently. "Wake up. Emma, it's Mommy. You saved me. I promise I won't stop until I save you."

"We have to bring her to the hospital," David yelled in desperation. The entire way, David and Mary Margaret took turns between pleading with Emma to wake up and cursing at nothingness in the air around them.

"We should have left," David yelled in frustration. "When Regina tried to hurt her the first time. We thought she changed. We were foolish and our daughter has suffered for that."

"David! This is not the time!"

"No? Then when _is_ the time? Because it seems like time isn't on our side!"

The ambulance bleared above them, as if reinforcing his point. They both winced at the sound. Emma's clothes had been ripped in half, wires and tubes attached to almost every inch.

Once they got in the hospital, it became a mass of commotion. Mary Margaret tried to keep her eyes focused, but there was too much stimulation, too many voices, too many people. She heard David's voice, sharp and barking to know what was happening.

"What happened _exactly_?" The doctor asked, and Mary Margaret tried to focus her attention.

"Nothing happened!" David yelled in frustration. "She ate an apple and she just dropped. Could it be an allergic reaction?"

"She's showing no signs of anaphylactic shock," Dr. Whale explained, much too calm. "There has to be something you're not remembering."

"There's _nothing!"_ Mary Margaret suddenly exclaimed, frustrated. "It's magic," she turned to David. "We didn't believe her. It was Regina, it was magic. Regina did this. We have to talk to-"

"I?" Gold said suddenly, and they realized his presence right behind them this entire time.

"Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret turned. "How long have you been here?"

"What's happening to Emma?" David commanded, overriding Mary Margaret's question.

"I'm afraid this is very serious. A sleeping curse is something you know well, despite your inability to recall, my dear Snow White."

"Snow White?" Mary Margaret said, showcasing her annoyance. "Is this about that book you gave to Emma?"

"It's more than a book," Gold explained calmly. His lack of urgency was disturbing to both parents.

"Just tell us if Emma is going to be okay!"

"I'm afraid I don't know that," Gold admitted. "Magic in this land is... unpredictable, at best. Whereas in our land it would put her to sleep for eternity, here, it could do a number of things."

As if Emma was waiting for Gold to explain, the monitors that showed her heart rate started beeping. Mary Margaret and David held on to each other in fear as they were pushed out of the room.

"What's happening?" Mary Margaret cried.

"She's tachycardic," a nurse explained before running into the room.

"Is she going to die?" David whipped around to face Gold, but when he did, he found the spot that he was in was empty. "Gold?" he called. But it was like he was never even there.

* * *

The nurses walked out slowly, their faces fallen. Then came the other aides, until finally, Dr. Whale. They looked defeated.

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Whale said genuinely. "We did all we could. You can have as long as you'd like to say goodbye."

David felt like he was going to faint, he was going to collapse, all the weight in his head had drained out and he was empty. He faintly felt the weight of Mary Margaret's head on his chest, he could, in the distance, hear her cries. They were loud, enormous, too big for the room. They were consuming. David was stone-faced. He couldn't cry, he couldn't even breathe. For a minute the thought of Kathryn crossed his mind. He thought about the way he felt when he had gotten the news that Kathryn was dead. False as it was, he had believed it to be true, and he had felt awful. Bottoms of the earth awful. And yet when he compared it to the moment he was in now, it felt like floating on cloud nine.

"Her hearts still beating," David said, hope filling up the cracks in his voice like a puddle on an old road.

"She's taking her last few breaths on her own. They'll stop within the hour. There's nothing we can do. I figured you'd like to say goodbye."

"Emma," Mary Margaret whispered. "Please, wake up. Please. I believe you. We believe you. I promise things will be different, just come back, please. Come back, Emma. We're right here waiting for you. We love you."

"I'm afraid that won't help," Gold said softly by the hospital door.

"Gold! What are you doing here? Where did you go?"

"I know how to save her," Gold said simply.

Both parents sat up from their bowed position on opposite sides of Emma.

"How? We'll do anything."

"I can't tell you."

"You can't _tell_ us? You can't _tell _us? This is not one of your games, Gold! This is not a riddle! This is not amusement! This is _my daughter's life."_

"I intend to save it. But this is not how it was supposed to happen."

"How what was supposed to happen?"

"I know about love," Gold started, suddenly. "I love a beautiful woman. You may know her, she's my wife, her name is Belle. I don't deserve her, but she loves me. I made a mistake a long time ago and pushed her away because I felt she could do better than the monster of a man I was. But it was a mistake, a horrible mistake, and I went looking for her. When I found her eleven years ago, she was imprisoned by Regina. She was going to be imprisoned for a much longer time if I didn't do anything. So I spent four years freeing her, ensuring her safety, then when I was sure, I enacted the curse Regina cast before Emma was born. But I made a mistake. I tempted fate to be with Belle, and now my son will pay by remaining fatherless. So for the past six years years, I've been working on a spell. Something that will fix all of our problems, though I will have to sacrifice my love."

Mary Margaret and David stared at him blankly. Emma gasped for breaths, and it was obvious her final ones were approaching.

"Are you going to help us save Emma or not?"

"I am going to help you," Gold answered. "And I'm going to start with this." He walked towards Emma, whose chest was heaving, looking for air. Mary Margaret and David watched him, unsure of what to do or say. He had said he was going to help them, and at this point, both of them were truly hoping that the magic was real and Gold had a way to save her with it. They watched as he approached her, getting so close they were only inches apart. He closed his eyes and held his hand up, holding it over her chest.

Then in a swift motion, he stuck it in her chest, and pulled out a red, glowing, heart.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Mary Margaret screeched, jumping back in horror. "DID YOU JUST PULL HER-"

"What the _HELL_ are you doing?" David demanded, also moving back.

"I'm so sorry," Gold said, holding the heart in his palm. "You'll understand in only minutes."

He squeezed the heart, letting it fall into dust, hoping, hoping with his entire heart that the spell he had been working on would actually work and that he had enough magic to enact it.

As the heart turned into dust, a white wave washed through the land, and he could see on Mary Margaret and David's faces that they weren't Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan anymore.

"Snow?"

"Charming," Snow cried in disbelief. They were in each other's arms before they could remember the scene that was beneath them. "_What did you do?"_

"You _killed_ my daughter!" David jumped at him, but Snow held his arm back.

"It broke the curse?" Snow asked.

"Her death gave you your memories back. It didn't break the curse of the town. We're still stuck in Storybrooke."

David was staring at Gold, seemingly scheming a way to murder him for Emma, while Snow stared at her daughter's body in the hospital bed.

"She was the funniest person in the entire world," Snow said, her voice sounded like it was drowning it's own sadness. "She was smart, and caring, and perceptive. She believed in people when they didn't believe in her. She was the best person I knew."

"This isn't over," David said, moving to Snow's side. "We're going to find a way."

"He just crushed her heart in front of us, David. What can we do?"

"He's right. It's not over. I can turn back time," Gold explained to Snow, staring at her while he waited for her to react.

"Turn back time? But it's never been done before."

"That we know of. If I turn back time, no one will know. Not even you. Not even me. I can bring us back to the moments before you gave birth to Emma. But I only have enough magic to give one person the knowledge. You won't remember anything, but only have a strong feeling that Emma _must_ go through the wardrobe. She will return on her 28th year, just as the prophecy stated."

"What about David? Won't he object?" Snow asked, reaching out for his hand.

"He will. But he will trust you because you will be speaking from the heart. You will know it's Emma's only option."

"Those visions you showed me of Emma's life... with those cruel people..."

"Where do I think I pulled them from, dear, naive, Snow White?"

"So they will come to be true."

"It is Emma's only option," he reiterated. "You guys will build a relationship upon her return. She _will_ be the Savior."

"How do I know Regina won't hurt her again and I'd be putting Emma through that horrible life again for nothing?" Her tears were spilling now, falling off like waves hitting the shore.

"Regina will be a different woman when Emma returns. Emma will be strong, but they will also have something very important in common, something they're both willing to fight for, even so far as to be on the same team."

Snow wiped the tears off her face now, nodding.

"Do it," Snow instructed, looking at David, who nodded. "Save our daughter."

* * *

"We can't move her now!" Doc said worriedly. Snow let out an agonizing scream, clutching Charming's hand. _How can this be my first baby? I feel like I've already done this._ Her thoughts were interrupted by another sharp bust of pain and a scream loud enough to break glass. Charming let her squeeze his hand tightly, all the while stealing worried glances toward the glass, the looming fog approaching them and their promise of their life together.

The sounds of her beautiful baby crying came out of nowhere, and for a few moments, Snow forgot where she was and the circumstances she was in. She gazed at her daughter, admiring her tiny nose, the redness in her fingertips as they swam in the air, looking for something to grasp. She brushed her soft specks of hair down, wanting to spend all eternity with this little creature. A lifetime wasn't long enough.

"The wardrobe," she said suddenly. "It only takes one."

"Then our plan has failed. At least we're together." Charming put one hand on her back and looked at their daughter.

Snow couldn't take her eyes off Emma. She was so beautiful, so helpless, so innocent. She wanted to hold her, to protect her. She could do that when Emma was safely inside of her, but now she was out here, in this cruel, unfair world. Emma, the most innocent victim, only minutes old. Emma had done no harm to anyone, but she was to suffer. She had to escape, she had to give her her best chance.

"No," Snow said, staring at Emma. "You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe." She listened to her cries, as if Emma knew what her parents were deciding. She took every ounce of effort from her body not to tack on _just kidding_ to the end of it. How could she let her go? How could she for even a moment let her out of her sight, never mind out of her world.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"No! It's the only way! You have to send her through!" Emma's cries got louder, and Snow felt each one piercing her ears. It sounded like the promise of a broken heart.

"Nonononono- you don't know what you're saying!"

"No, I do! We have to believe she'll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance."

Snow stopped trying to hold it together after that, when Charming took Emma out of her hands, because she knew she would never hold her again.

"Goodbye Emma," she kissed the top of her head and watched her baby leave.

If she thought labor was bad, it was nothing to feeling like someone was ripping your insides right out from within you. She had never felt so broken, so incomplete, so useless. She couldn't save her daughter, and now she was going to grow up without her.

_We have to believe she'll come back for us._

_It was her best chance._

Snow felt like there was a weight crushing down on her chest. She wanted her baby, she wanted Emma, she wanted to hold her when she had a nightmare and tell her bedtime stories and watch her grow up into a young woman.

_We have to believe she'll come back for us._

Snow didn't know who she was wishing to, but she squeezed her eyes and wished. Please somebody take care of my baby. Take care of our princess.

_It was her best chance._

Somehow, she knew it was her only chance.


End file.
